Only Scars Remain
by Sickaede
Summary: There was a time before the phantom ruby, when Infinite lead a fulfilling life, but everything went downhill the moment he touched that mysterious gem. / Gadget the Wolf x Infinite the Jackal, the story of Infinite's past life, his presently abysmal mental state, and his path towards redemption. Contains several non-cannon characters to help progress the story. /
1. Heterochromia

**Scouting locations is the first task assigned to young jackals of the pack. While these young pups are too small for combat in raids, their small forms make it easy for them to slip past unsuspecting targets, and scout the treasures throughout Mobius, ripe for the taking.**  
 _"Go to the Oasis son, we'll be back in a few days. I want you to memorize every nook and cranny." "Why?" "You'll know, when the time comes."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

It was a beautiful summer morning, the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. The inhabitants of a small hamlet nestled in an oasis, which was just on the corner of the desert near wild canyon were beginning their morning rituals. The villagers bustled in the streets of the marketplace, buying and selling goods, the kids freshly starting summer break played freely among the older mobians going about their daily lives. Plenty of greenery flourished here, palm trees and flowers sprouted wherever they could, and the grass grew tall in thick patches all around the homes and businesses scattered about. They even had their own beach alongside a lake that separated most of the town's border from the desert. A small outcropping of cliffs and rocks stood near the back of the town, a favorite location for children to play on the sandy beaches below and swim freely in the crystal-clear water.

It was not far from here that a small group of three decided to perch for the day and skip stones into the lake, enjoying their summer and being carefree with no homework or school to worry about for the next few months. Elsewhere, a wolf pup trotted alongside the path winding around the lake, he had a red-orange pelt, and was wearing thickly framed glasses, green boots with light green and black accents, and gloves to match. This path always had a lovely view of the sparkling waters and vast desert beyond as the sun rose, and he liked to sit in a nice little patch of grass close to the border of the desert and work on his laptop, which he clutched tightly to his chest. He saw a group of kids hanging out in his usual spot, strange since nobody really liked coming this close to the desert border.

He walked up to the group, and waved to them nonetheless. They weren't friends, but he'd seen them around school a few times before and he had always been too shy to talk to them. Perhaps circumstance brought them here for a reason! The largest of the group, a bear named Kodiak looked up, seeing the small wolf attempting to join the trio. With a frown and a grunt, the bear made a shooing motion with his paw "Scram kid, we're busy!" he growled. The wolf simply tilted his head in confusion, and flattened his ears at the blatant rejection of his company. Guess they didn't want to be friends. He never was the best in social situations, always being a bit too nerdy for anyone's liking. He had really wanted to enjoy his favorite spot today but he didn't want to make the others angry.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

As he turned to walk away he noticed the other two, a tiger, and a hawk, had stopped skipping stones. The wolf followed their eyes down to the bank of the lake, where another figure approached. The bear turned towards him as well, and the group eyed him suspiciously, like they didn't know what to do about his presence. He was a jackal by the looks of it, he had a dark pelt with striped markings that were white as snow. He was about their age as well, sporting a long ivory mane, a tattered white scarf wrapped around his neck, and dark boots and gloves accented in red. His golden eye was cast downwards at his feet, his arms folded across his chest, and his long black and white tipped tail dragging behind him in the sand. His lips were turned downwards into a frown, and his expression was downcast as he walked, hunched over into an over exaggerated slouch. He looked so...lonely.

The wolf walked a bit closer to the trio to get a better look and ask the group why they'd been staring at the stranger so intently. A shout startled the wolf, he hadn't realized he'd been staring at the newcomer too until the bear spoke. "Hey you!" he yelled at the stranger. The jackal turned around, and what the wolf saw surprised him enough to let out a small gasp. On the right side of his face the jackal had a brilliant gold eye, but on the left his eye was bright blue, it vaguely reminded the wolf of the sky. The stranger didn't speak, just looked at the group with a confused expression, he thought he'd been doing a good job of minding his own business.

"What's wrong with yer' eyes," the bear spoke again "you some kind of freak?" The jackal's expression changed to that of indignation. "Freak? I-I'm not..." he stuttered out, completely thrown off guard by the statement. "My eyes ain't different colors," the bear started before turned to the wolf, putting him on the spot "are yer' eyes different colors kid?" The wolf was surprised that he was being addressed, but had a sinking suspicion that this wasn't going to turn out good. "N-No...I guess not." he muttered quietly. "See, nobody's got different colored eyes but you, FREAK! We don't want weird people around here, go back to the desert!" The bears tone continued to get louder. The other two in the group played along too and began shouting insults at the jackal. "You sure look like a freak to me!" "Put a patch on that freaky eye, weirdo!" they teased.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The wolf backed away slowly, this situation was getting out of hand fast. Disregarding his aggressors, the jackal held his ground, and so the bear reached down and picked up a large, sharp stone from near his feet. Without any hesitation he reeled back and threw it at the stranger, who barely had time to process the bear's action. The little wolf shouted in surprise as the rock sailed towards its target. It happened so fast he didn't have time to react, and so the rock hit the stranger right on the eye, knocking him over and into the water.

"Stop it!" the wolf pup screamed, as the bear began picking up another rock to aim at the poor jackal. He was now on his knees in the water, soaking wet and holding his injured eye groaning in pain. The ginger leapt as high as he could, grabbing and hanging off the arm of the much larger bear, yelling and grabbing at the rock clutched tightly in his paws. "Quit yer' meddlin' ya' little brat!" the bear yelled, swinging wildly. The other two kids didn't take notice to the bear's struggle, and had continued to throw smaller pebbles at the jackal, who held up his arm in an attempt to soften the blows of the projectiles. His sopping wet mane hung in front of his face as he clutched his injured eye desperately and tears welled up the other.

The little wolf yelped as Kodiak swung his paw around and smacked him right on the snout, he fell with a loud 'thud' and curled up into a ball clutching his face in pain. The other two heard the noise, and turned around to see why their friend had stopped throwing stones. The wolf mustered the strength to slowly release the pressure he'd been applying to his injury and get back up on shaky knees, and the other two kids gasped. Blood trickled down the wolf's face from a freshly broken nose. "Kodiak! We're gonna get in so much trouble if he snitches!" The hawk yelled, the tiger nodded and grabbed the wolf by the arm and brought their faces uncomfortably close. "You better not snitch on us! You fell and hurt yourself, you hear me!" he yelled before letting go of the wolf, grabbing both his friends, and running away from the scene as fast as they could. The bear protested for a moment before conceding to his friend, and the trio disappeared on the path leading back to the village.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The ginger swiped furiously at his nose in an attempt to make the blood stop flowing, it throbbed in pain every time he touched it. Once the flow of blood had slowed he picked up his laptop, which was dropped amidst the fight. It had been crushed when the bear dropped him right on top of it, his ears folded for a few seconds in sadness for the loss of his trinket before he clutched his paw in determination. Oh well he can always ask his dad to help him fix it, right now the stranger was more important, he could be seriously hurt! The wolf quickly leapt into action, abandoning his crushed laptop on the hill and sliding down to the bank to survey the damage done to the stranger's eye. Luckily his mom taught him a few lessons on first aid, so hopefully he could help.

The stranger still knelt in the shallow water, clutching his eye and muttering to himself. His ears perked up when he heard footsteps coming his way, and he looked up to see the wolf from the group coming closer. The closer he got, the more agitated the jackal seemed to get, his tail slowly puffed, ears folded flat against his head, and lips curled into a slight snarl. Still the wolf persisted, "Are you ok?" he asked in a worried tone "I'm sorry, I should've stopped him sooner. I didn't realize those guys were so mean..." The injured pup remained still and silent, a suspicious glare coming from his good eye, the other still clutched in his hand. Blood was dripping down his muzzle now, and the wolf reached out to help. The stranger flinched, causing the ginger to halt his actions for a brief moment before continuing forward. When he finally made contact with the jackal he jumped, and immediately smacked the other's hand away. As fast as he could the stranger rose up out of the water, covered both his eyes with the back of his arm yelling "DON'T TOUCH ME!". Quicker than the wolf could process, the jackal rose up out of the water and took off over the cliff side back towards the desert's border.

The small wolf sat in the water, shocked that anyone could move that fast, and at this whole bizarre situation. In the heat of the moment, the jackal hadn't realized that his tumble into the water had knocked his scarf off, and it floated harmlessly in front of the confused pup. He picked it up carefully, and wrung it out a bit before heading back up the bank. Grabbing the rest of his things the dazed wolf started down the path back to his home, hoping that one day he'd be able to return the scarf to this strange new person...and maybe make a new friend.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ AN:** I've updated the format of the story due to a few requests letting me know it was a bit difficult to see in big blocks, hopefully this makes it a bit easier to read for you all! The paragraphs will now be separated by a line, and individual blocks of action will be spaced out inside each paragraph. I've also decided to add a bit of foreshadowing in quotes and little tidbits of lore at the beginning of each chapter for some world-building. Lastly, I am having a good friend of mine re-read the story for any errors, repetitive and run-on sentences, and continuity mistakes so I can fix them. Please enjoy and thank you all for the reviews so far, I'm so glad I can make people in the fandom happy with my writing! ( U v U ) **/**

 **/ AN:** I really don't like ' _OC x Cannon'_ pairings usually, but the theories back before Sonic Forces actually came out about the avatar knowing Infinite, giving him a fist bump, etc were very interesting. I don't claim Gadget as my own of course since the fandom collectively adopted him as the 'official avatar', but he's probably the most cannon the avatar will ever get. Plus him and infinite are super cute together so here we are! Infinite didn't get nearly enough love (story-wise) during the game, so I felt it was necessary to give him a better backstory, one that justifies him freaking out when Shadow beats the snot out of him. This is my first time publishing here, so I would appreciate some constructive criticism! Thanks for reading. (u v u) **/**


	2. Ivory

**While isolated from the larger portions of society, the villages dotting the jungles and deserts of mobius still live a happy and prosperous life. G.U.N actively plays a role in their security, and provides them with technology to stay connected to the rest of the world.  
** _"Oh my gosh! What happened to your nose love?" "It's a long story, hey can I ask you something mom?" "Of course dear...what is it?" "Is it possible to have two different colored eyes?"_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═ 

It had been a few days since the encounter with the jackal, but the wolf pup remained persistent. Every day since, he'd gone back to that same spot in hopes he'd see him again. Today was no different, he slipped on his gloves and boots, and trotted his way downstairs where his mother waited with a warm smile. She held her arms behind her back, and as her son made his way towards her she brought them forward and held out the item in her paws. "Your father fixed up your laptop good as new, Gadget!" The pups grin went from ear to ear as he reached out to take his trinket, and place it gently into the backpack he'd decided to bring along. "And, I have a surprise for you too, in-case your little friend decides to show up today." She held out a small white box, it had a red medical sign on the front, and the words "first aid" printed neatly underneath it. "I put some things in there for his eye, and some other useful things in case you run into those bullies again."

He nodded happily and took the kit, putting it in his backpack as well. She patted him on the head, followed by a soft kiss to his forehead. "Please be careful honey, those kids could've really hurt you!" She fussed, "Don't worry mom, I can handle them! Thank you for the first aid kit, and tell dad thank you for fixing up my computer if you see him please!" He said happily, she nodded while she shrugged on her work uniform, about to leave herself. Her bright orange mane was pulled up in a high ponytail, and her bright gold eyes sat behind thinly framed glasses with small chains hanging from either side to prevent them from falling. Her pristine white doctors coat hung down past her knees, and below that she wore her pale green scrubs. A flower that doubled as a pen sat neatly in her mane right next to her ear, and she wore a gold necklace and bracelet with similar flower in their design. She opened the door for her son and they went their separate ways, her to the clinic and him to the lakeside to wait for his mysterious 'friend'.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The trail leading to the lakeside was as pleasant as always, the birds sung summer songs, and the scent of blooming flowers filled the pup's nostrils. He reached into his pack and pulled out the scarf. It had been a bit dirty when he brought it home so he had asked his mother if she could wash it. Now the cloth was soft and dry, and it was pristine white just like the jackal's fur had been. He held it gently in his paws and wondered what the stranger was like, imagining those strangely fascinating eyes. He was so enthralled by his imagination that he hadn't realized how far he went, completely missing the turn to the lakeside and heading straight onto the path towards the desert. He also hadn't realized that someone was in his path, that is until the two collided and landed in a tangle of limbs.

"Ugh...watch where you're go-" the stranger started, before looking to see the same wolf from a few days ago sprawled out on top of him. The wolf's face was currently buried in the fur on his chest, and as he lifted himself up his face turned an even brighter shade of red. Quite impressive considering his fur was already quite brightly colored. "I-I'm so sorry! I was just looking for someone and I..." The realization that this was the person he was looking for dawned on him the moment their gold eyes met. The jackal looked a bit different today, the right side of his face was covered by his white mane in an attempt to hide the bandage wrapped around his injured eye, and the rest of the long white fur was tied in a messy bun.

The wolf scrambled backwards and to his knees quickly, allowing the stranger to finally sit up and shake himself off. "Your not going to find anyone from your village all the way out here." The jackal grumbled, realizing the strange look the wolf was giving him "What, do I have something on my face?" He sneered, expecting the wolf to tease him about the tattered bandage resting over his eye. "N-No! It's not that I just...It's you! I-I was um, looking for you..." The wolf stuttered, as long as he'd been waiting, he'd never really thought of what he's say to the stranger if he ever ran into him again.

Instead of trying to explain to the jackal, he awkwardly held out the scarf he had clutched in his paws. The jackal jumped at the sudden movement, and looked down to see what this crazy guy could possibly be talking about. He was surprised to see his scarf, which he hadn't been able to find since his injury, being held in the green gloved paws in front of him. "Y-you uh, left it behind...I wanted to return it to you." The jackal slowly reached up and took the item from the pup, turning the scarf over in his own paws a few times. "Uh, thanks." He started at the material, which was now a pristine white, like when he'd first gotten the scarf from his mother. "I had my mom wash it too, it was pretty dirty after being dropped in the lake."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The wolf perked up, having started getting up from his kneeling position. He offered his paw to the jackal, who was still sitting in the dirt staring at the scarf that was now resting back around his neck. The jackal looked up, eyeing the paw before him reluctantly. He looked into the eyes of the wolf, they seemed pretty sincere. Sighing he took it and let himself be lifted back up into a standing position, however instead of letting go of his paw the wolf shook it. "My name is Gadget! Gadget the wolf. What's yours?" He asked with a toothy grin, finally releasing the stranger from his grip. "Uhh...Finn, Finn the Jackal. Nice to...meet you." He really was no good interacting with people, really only ever having talked to his pack-mates back home, never outsiders.

Still, he was a bit curious. "Why would you go through the trouble of returning this to a 'freak' like me." he spat the words the bear had refereed to him as, and held his hands up in air quotes. The wolf tilted his head to the side, and took a moment to look at Finn's covered eye. "I don't think you're a freak...I actually thought your eyes looked really cool when I saw them!" He said with a determined look on his face. "That reminds me, I have something else for you!" He reached for his pack, the jackal looked on curiously as Gadget pulled out the small white box. "A first aid kit?" He questioned, watching still as the wolf opened the box and rifled through the items inside. "My mom is a doctor, she made this in case I ran into you again!" With a triumphant "Aha!" the ginger pulled out a small glass bottle with a dropper attached as the lid. He also pulled out a roll of fresh bandages and a tube of ointment. "She said that an injury to your eye can be serious, you could even lose your sight! Here!" The wolf held out the items, expecting the jackal to take them. "Your family can help you fix your bandages now!" Gadget said joyfully. Finn hesitated, bringing his paw to reflexively cover his eye. "Er...my family doesn't really do...medical stuff."

Confused, the wolf brought his paws back down with the items still clutched in them, what kind of family didn't take care of their kid's injuries? His mother had always fussed over the smallest of scrapes when he and his brother were little. Even now that they were older she still occasionally babied the brothers, much to their dismay. The jackal scratched his arm and looked away in awkward silence before the wolf made a suggestion "Well, I could look at it for you! My mother teaches me all kinds of stuff about medicine!" Finn sputtered, giving the pup and indignant look as if the idea was absolutely insane. Why on earth does a stranger even care if his eye is hurt? Still it was quite sore, and the only thing his family had done was clean off the blood and slap some old bandages on it. He himself had no idea how to treat the wound either. He contemplated for another moment before giving into the wolf yet again.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

He moved his paw away from his eye and allowed the wolf to step closer before muttering "I guess it can't hurt. Fine, just...be careful." under his breath. Gadget nodded before brushing away the white fur that had been covering the bandaged eye and start removing it slowly, he heard the jackal intake a harsh breath, peeling away the bloody cloth must've hurt a bit. "Sorry." the pup muttered as he continued his examination. At second glance the injury looked much worse, and it didn't look like much care had been taken to treat it at all, he was lucky it wasn't infected. Finn tensed at the repeated contact as the wolf gently started to unravel the bandage completely. He kept is eye tightly closed as the tattered dressing was removed to reveal a slash that stretched from below the brow to the jackal's temple. Gadget winced, that looked very painful and irritated since it hadn't been properly looked at. "This might actually be easier if we found somewhere to sit..." he said quietly, trying not to startle the obviously uncomfortable jackal.

Finn nodded complacently, as they walked off onto the side of the road and into the shade of a few boulders to sit comfortably. He sat cross-legged and Gadget knelt right in front of him, handing the jackal a dropper full of the liquid from the glass bottle. "Are you able to open it, this will stop your eye burning as much." Finn took the dropper gently and tilted his head back in an attempt to apply the medication. He cursed under his breath at the pain of trying to open his eye for the first time in days, and again as the medication missed and slipped into the wound. He nearly let go of the dropper as he brought his paw up to hold the eye in pain. Gadget leaned forward and placed his paw gently on the arm that clutched the injury, then reached out with his other to take the dropper and refill it. "Here, let me try." Easing Finn's shaking arm away from his eye Gadget surveyed the damage, nothing serious just a bit of wasted medicine. With the same paw the wolf reached up and tilted the Jackals head back again, Finn did his best to keep the eye open as the dropper descended and the drops were applied. He felt a cool sensation relieving some of the soreness as he blinked away the excess medicine and closed his eye once again.

Gadget reached for the ointment and fresh bandages to replace the dingy old ones. Applying the cool gel and then gently starting to wrap the bandage around the injury, Gadget finished and sat back on his haunches to survey his work. The cloth was now neatly wrapped covering the whole injury, the jackal looked away not liking the close scrutiny the other was giving him. "How does it feel? A bit better?" Finn nodded, brushing his mane back over the injury to hide it once again, lifting himself off the ground afterward. The jackal's curiosity only grew as the wolf stood and looked at him with eyes shimmering and full of...hope? "Why are you doing all this for a stranger? You don't owe me anything..." A laugh startled the jackal into looking up at a smiling face, Finn was taken back by the sudden change in expression. "Well, that's easy. It's because I want to be friends!"

The wolf beamed, holding his paw out once again, this time for Finn to shake. He didn't get the memo, and just stood there awkwardly staring at the offering, confused. The ginger laughed, and then the paw reached out to take his own in another shaking motion, oh. That's what he wanted. "Will you be my friend?" the wolf asked, starting at the jackal expectantly. Socializing with other people was strange, nobody had ever ASKED him to be friends before. He nodded and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sure...I guess." Looking away as his face turned a bit pink at this embarrassing turn of events. "So, can I have my hand back now?"

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ A/N:** This chapter is all fixed up now, I realized that I actually mentioned the wrong eye before since Infinite's scar and blue eye are on the right side. Oops. O w O"

 **/ A/N:** I didn't spend quite as much time proofreading this one, so my apologies for any grammatical errors. Thanks so much for reading! ^ v ^ **/**


	3. Nebula

**Without the pollution of the city to cloud the sky, the citizens of the oasis have a perfect view of the stars at night. While the inhabitants of the deserts share the lack of pollution, the constant shifting of the sands makes the sky much less clear.  
** _"You're awfully quiet, Finn." "Sorry,I'm not used to being around people..." "It's ok, I don't mind. My brother is kinda the same way." "Ah." "Do you have any siblings?" "Yes...four of them."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

A pebble bounced across the calm surface of the lake, once, twice, three times, and then four before sinking to the bottom of the lake bed below. "No way! How do you do that?!" The wolf yelled as his companion sitting comfortably on a rock just above him smirked cockily. "It's all in the wrist, buddy." The jackal flicked his tail and tossed a rock for the wolf to catch and try his luck. The wolf caught it with both hands and stuck his tongue out in concentration before winding up his throw and tossing the rock. It landed in the lake with a loud "Ker-PLUNK!" but didn't skip a single time.

Finn laughed loudly at the poor attempt, and wiped a tear from the side of his eye as he finally jumped down from his perch to join his friend. "Don't worry bud, you'll get it one day. You just have to stop lobbing it like a baseball." Gadget lightly punched the jackal on the arm and they both chuckled. The two had been meeting at the same spot where 'the incident', as they had dubbed it, happened for a while now. The bullies hadn't shown up since, and Gadget liked to share his favorite spot with his new friend. It had taken a bit of effort to get Finn to warm up to him, but after two months of bright, toothy grins and friendly gestures from the wolf the stoic jackal had caved and opened up. Now the day had come when Gadget had finally convinced Finn to come meet his parents, and see his house. They were set to arrive back home for dinner in a few hours, but for now they could just sit and enjoy the sunset.

"Are you sure your parents are ok with you staying over?" Gadget asked concerned, Finn didn't speak about his family very much but when he did it wasn't very fondly. "My dad and the others are out on an...errand. They said I was too young to go so I'm stuck here anyways." Gadget looked confused "They told you to come here?" The jackal nodded with an annoyed expression, sitting down next to gadget who had found a spot in a nice soft patch of grass. "They always leave me here, they want me to get a feel for the town. Know the layout and stuff..." "Oh, maybe they're planning on moving here? That would be awesome, then we could hang out all the time!" Finn nodded his head absentmindedly and leaned against the nice cool rock behind them, folding his arms behind his head and peeking over Gadget's shoulder at his laptop screen. They spent a few hours just messing around on the laptop before the wolf realized late it was and that his parents would probably be worried if it got much later. He stretched his stiff arms and legs out before hopping up from his resting spot, and offering a paw for his friend to join him. Together they walked the winding path around the lake and back towards the Ginger's home.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

It was almost completely dark outside by the time the boys walked through the front door of Gadget's house. He took his shoes off by the door and yelled "Mom, Dad, I'm home! I brought my friend!" Finn followed suit by removing his shoes and hanging his scarf on the nearby rack before following Gadget deeper inside. The wolf's father, a rather large wolf sat with his legs reclined on the table, and his face in a book. From what the jackal could see he had a bit of a gut, his pelt was a darker shade of brown than Gadget's but his fur was exactly the same shape as his son's. He wore large white gloves and a white lab coat with odds and ends hanging out of the pockets messily. When he looked up from his book, a large round pair of very thick glasses appeared, along with a very familiar looking grin.

"Why hello son! How are you liking the fixes I made to your computer?" He said with a chuckle, patting the small wolf on the head with his large paw. "Oh and who's this you have with you?" "That must be Gadgy's new friend!" A feminine voice came from the front doorway. The young pup's mother made her way into the kitchen, still wearing her work uniform having just gotten home. "Mom, don't call me that!" The pup whined in defiance. "Oh, sorry Gadget!" She said gently patting her son's head before turning towards their guest. "Why hello dear! My name is Steth, and this is my husband Gizmo, it's very nice to meet you. Gadget has told us so much about you!" The jackal blushed wildly at all the attention he was suddenly getting, but returned the introduction nonetheless. "F-Finn, very nice to meet you, sir, mam'." Gadget put his hand on Finn's shoulder to comfort him, he knew the poor jackal wasn't very good around people. "Honey, you're the one who got a rock thrown at your eye the other day aren't you. Do you mind if I take a look at it"?" Steth asked as she knelt down next to the children. The jackal looked at Gadget, who shook his head in approval and flashed a thumbs up, well she was a doctor after all.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

He brushed his mane out of the way so she could see the injury better. Gadget had done a good job of changing the bandage every single day and keeping it clean, so Finn wasn't too worried when his mother reached for the bandages and begin to unravel them. Still, he kept his eye tightly shut to avoid Gadget's parents seeing his blue eye. She clicked her tongue as she examined the area carefully, before smiling brightly at the jackal pup. "Well dear, looks like your diligence tending to your wound has paid off, it's completely healed. It was quite deep so unfortunately there will be a scar, but there is no need for bandages anymore." She said it like it was supposed to be the best news he'd heard all day, but all he felt was dread in the pit of his stomach. What if they saw his eye and thought something was wrong with him too? Sensing his friend's unease Gadget squeezed Finn's shoulder in reassurance, nodding to him that everything was ok.

The jackal pup looked back at his friend, feeling a bit calmer and slowly opening his healed eye. He had to blink a few times to adjust it to the light as it had been awhile since he actually kept that eye open for a long period of time. "Nonsense!" Gadget's father interjected. "The scar isn't unfortunate at all, it will make you look tough!" Gadgets mother giggled, then tilted her head curiously as she peered at the newly opened eye "Oh how interesting, you have heterochromia! That's a fairly rare case you know, you're very special." She said with yet another bright smile. Finn stared in awe at how easily she brushed it off, she even knew the name for it. He wasn't a freak after all! A small smile graced the Jackal pup's lips, and Gadget mirrored that smile glad that his friend was so happy. "Now, who wants some dinner? I brought pizza!" Both pup's ear's, along with Gizmo's perked up.

"Did I hear pizza?!" A loud yell came from the upper level of the house. A green canine came sprinting down the stairs, and Finn was shocked to see an almost identical wolf to Gadget come running into the kitchen. The only real difference was the height, Gadget clearly being taller than his younger sibling, and the color of his turquoise fur. He wore slightly different colored boots and gloves as well, gray and black rather than green and black, though they were the same design. "Ah right, Finn meet my brother, Gears!" Gadget's brother waved at the jackal in a short greeting, before helping himself to his favorite treat now sitting on the table just waiting to be eaten. After they all shared a laugh at Gear's antics, the family dug in to their meal and chatted happily among one another.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

Later that night, the family had finished their supper and the boys went up to Gadget's room to 'sleep'. They'd been far too excited to actually do so, instead Gadget asked Finn if he was awake, which lead into a lengthy conversation about nothing in particular. The boys chuckled as quietly as they could manage, talking about this and that and just enjoying each other's company. "Wanna see something cool?" The wolf asked suddenly, once they had come down from one of their laughing fits about a stupid joke Finn's brother had told him. "Sure." Finn whispered back, following Gadget as he got up and headed towards his window.

The wolf opened the window and climbed up, offering his paw to the jackal who accepted the assistance with a confused look on his face. Gadget slid out onto the roof of his house and climbed slightly to the side to make room for Finn. The wolf crossed his arms behind his head and lay outside, gazing up at the stars. The jackal was still a bit confused, but mirrored the wolf's position, closing his eyes as he laid down. When he opened them, he was awestruck at the view the roof offered them. All the lights from the village were off at such a late hour, paving the way for a bright landscape of stars to paint the sky above him. He never got this good of a view from the den back home, and he hadn't enjoyed being able to see properly now that the bandage had finally been removed until now. He lay speechless next to his friend for a few moments. Gadget was first to break the silence "Pretty isn't it? I love looking at the stars up here." "Yeah," the jackal replied quietly, before snapping out of his daze and looking over at this wolf who, in a few short months, had become someone very...important to him. His closest friend.

"Thank you Gadget." he said, the wolf looked back over at him a bit dazed by the sudden change of subject. "For what?" the wolf asked. "For being my friend." The jackal replied simply, and for once Gadget was on the end of a big toothy grin. The wolf mirrored the jackal's smile before replying "Of course!" They both looked back up at the stars shining above them before Gadget spoke up again. "Hey Finn?" "Yeah?" "We're gonna be friends for a really long time, right?" "Of course, that's a stupid question." The jackal sat up, realizing that the wolf had done the same moments prior, and now held a serious look in his golden eyes. "Forever?" "What?" "Friends forever, right?" The wolf asked again, extending his pinkie claw, Finn chuckled, for once he wasn't the insecure one, and it was his turn to reassure his friend. He shook Gadget's pinkie claw with his own, and that night under the starry sky they made a promise. "Forever."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ A/N:** So I added a small introduction to Gears in this chapter, the wolf that appears on the official box of Sonic Forces. Apparently the fandom has adopted him as Gadget's twin brother, though in this story he will be his younger brother to help the plot along further down the line. I got the name from gadgetthewolf over on tumblr, who made some adorable art of the twins messing with people. Hope you all enjoy the fixes and additions for this chapter! U v U **/**


	4. Kin

**Though the den they have taken up residence in is quite small, the Jackal Squad's territory stretches for miles beyond their rocky home. It ranges from the border of the Oasis, to the outskirts of the jungle, and even all the way to the shoreline bordering the desert. They are very protective of their desert, and attack anyone that attempts to invade their** **home.**  
 _"My siblings want to meet you." "Oh, that's great! Won't your dad be mad though?" "He is away with my aunt and uncle right now, he'll never know." "What about your mom, does she hate outsiders too?" "She...isn't around either."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

That was it, the last straw, the poor wolf didn't think he could make it another step. Finn had invited Gadget to meet some of his family at the den later today. However, there was a predicament they found themselves stuck in, the wolf had never left the oasis before. The heat in the desert was much worse than any weather in the oasis could dream to be, and there was no lake to take a dip and cool down. There were only miles, and miles, and MILES of sand. "Finn, I can't go on any longer!" the wolf whined as he dragged his feet and continued forward behind his jackal friend in a sluggish motion. Finn just laughed at his friend's antics, before stopping dead in his tracks, causing the wolf to bump right into him. They had arrived at the den, it was nothing impressive but it was what his family had called home for as long as he could remember. The entrance was a sheer drop below them, with a winding path going downwards towards the mouth of a cave system. The caves had a number of different sized holes throughout them, some going right through the roof, and some leading to higher levels of rocks and cliffs. There was a center area where three tall boulders with flat tops sat, looking kind of like a makeshift staircase. Around those boulders was a wide, clear open space free of debris. Littered throughout the shallow caves were small makeshift tents, old campfires, and LOTS of crates full of random stuff, most of which looked fairly valuable.

Gadget looked around, noting the absence of the siblings they were supposed to meet up with. Finn sensed his concern "They're here somewhere, they just don't like the daytime very much." he assured. "I can see why." Gadget muttered in response. It had been two years now since they'd first met and become fast friends. In all that time Finn had never once offered to bring him here, heck half the time he lived at Gadget's house nowadays since he was too young to go on his family's "errands" as he like to call them. However, today was a special day, today Finn turned 12, which marked the day that he was finally allowed to join them. Gadget was of course very happy for his friend, this meant a lot to him, but he couldn't help feeling a bit sad that they wouldn't be able to see each other as much. Finn didn't attend school, so as it was now he would wait outside the schoolyard lounging under the shade of the palm trees until Gadget was released for the day. They spent almost every waking moment together, and now that Finn was able to join his family they may not see each other for weeks at a time. He shook his head, trying not to think about it. 

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═ 

He was truly honored that the jackal finally trusted him enough to take him here to meet his family for the first time while his father was away. Finn's father didn't approve of his relationship with the outsider, so the jackal had done a good job of hiding it for now. His siblings had sworn not to say a word, but wanted to meet the infamous wolf that saved their brother from the big bad bear. Finn made his way down the winding path and down into one of the shallow caves, the little cubby was completely shaded. It was significantly less cluttered than the others, and much more organized. It also featured a hammock hung a few feet away just underneath the opening in the ceiling, granting a nice view of the stars to whomever laid in it. Something the jackal had installed to stargaze shortly after their promise on the roof two years ago. You could definitely tell this was Finn's 'room'. Gadget helped himself to the comfy looking hammock, intending to relax after a long trek across the desert from the oasis.

Before he could get any true rest though, a shadow loomed over him, startling the wolf and making him lose his balance in the hammock. Another shadow, then a paw grabbed the side of the hammock and proceeded to spin it around as hard as the mystery person could muster, trapping poor Gadget in a jumbled mess of rope. Frenzied giggling could be heard as the two broke out into uncontrollable laughter, one tried their best to form an intelligible sentence "T-this is the guy." the voice said, sounding like they were in tears from their giggle fit. Finn rolled his eyes before snarling at the two jackals currently torturing his friend. "Knock it off you two!" he shouted, grabbing the hammock and helping Gadget get himself untangled. His glasses had fallen at some point, or so he thought. However, when he reached around on the ground to find them, they were nowhere around. "Looking for these?" one of the voices said, still trying not to giggle. "Thanks." the wolf said, relieved that he hadn't lost them.

As he placed the back on his head the figures came into view, they looked very similar to Finn. They had the same striped markings and semi dark coats, though their darker fur was more brown, and their white markings weren't quite as bright as Finn's were, they were more of an off-white. The smaller of the two sported a mohawk, wore a faded green headband, and had a notable scar spanning across his snout. The other, larger jackal wore a bright red barrette that hid his mane, but didn't really have any other defining markings aside from being quite tall. "These are my little brothers, the runt is Jay, and the other is Pierce." They both waved enthusiastically, before the group was joined by two more serious looking jackals, that looked a bit older.

"Hello there, wolf." They greeted, Gadget noticed Finn step a bit closer to him folding his ears down in a sort of protective stance. "We are Finny's older siblings, I am his sister Tempest, and this is Lance." Lance wore a slicked back mane, and a red bandanna around his neck, and Tempest wore a tank top and shorts printed with faded green camouflage, her mane up in a high ponytail. "It's very nice to meet you all!" the wolf grinned, "My name is Gadget!" He held out a hand to Tempest, who looked at Finn somewhat astounded. This kid wasn't the slightest bit afraid of them. She took his hand and shook it with a sly grin. "Gadget is it? The pleasure is all ours, so tell us how did you meet my cute little brother?" She patted her little brother on the back as she spoke to the ginger, hard enough to make him lurch forward from the impact. Finn sighed, this was going to be a long night.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

It was well into the midnight hour when the wolf finished recounting the story of their first meeting, and how they became friends afterwards. Finn's two younger brothers taunted them singing the familiar, childish song "Finn and Gadget sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N-" they only got so far before Tempest threatened them with their lives if they didn't shut up and behave. They roasted marshmallows by a bonfire, and shared stories of their travels through the desert and beyond, and some of the amazing things they'd found. Gadget looked over to Finn whose eyes were ablaze with wonder. Soon he would be able to join them on their adventures, and experience these wonders for himself. Gadget smiled, happy his friend was finally able to be free.

The fire was dying down, and the two younger siblings had already curled up on either side of their brother, sleeping in a literal dog pile with Pierce on the bottom, followed by Lance, and Jay lying on top of them both. Tempest smiled at her brother's silly antics, and got up to put out the dying fire. As she passed she ruffled Finn's messy hair, causing him to grunt in annoyance and attempt to fix the mess she made of his fur. Once the fire was nothing more than coals she whispered her good-nights to Finn and Gadget before heading to her own little nook off in the corner of the den, out of view. Gadget stared at the dying embers in fascination, wondering what it would be like to go with Finn and his family on one of their adventures. Maybe one day they'd invite him along.

He must've been daydreaming for longer than he'd thought because he felt a head fall lightly onto his shoulder, and a soft snore come from his friend. Finn had dozed off in a similar manner to his brothers, right on top of Gadget. The wolf smiled and leaned back, adjusting the jackal's head so it lay on his chest instead. He kept his paw resting in his friend's mane, petting circles in the soft fur while he folded his other arm behind his head as a makeshift pillow. He was glad he came out to meet the jackal family, tonight turned out to be a great night, despite the circumstances. He stared down at his companions sleeping face, noting that he looked much more peaceful when he slept. He smiled and looked back up at the stars. "Happy birthday Finn."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ A/N:** So I saw a post on tumblr the other day about possible names for Infinite's squad in the Sonic Forces final comic issue, and immediately fell in love with them. Props to tomaturtles, good-tails, caydebug, and blubipboplove over on tumblr for coming up with perfect names for these cute little guys. **/**


	5. Initiation

**The black market of Mobius is a mysterious place located in the middle of the desert, and while not owned by the Jackals that call this land home, they allow the present of the merchants on their territory in return for a higher rate of exchange from the goods they take during their raids.  
** _"Again, keep your stance wide. Don't leave any openings for your opponent to strike." "Why are we training so much with swords, aren't there other weapons I need to learn?" "Let Cane and his pups use their inferior arms, a good sword is all you really need. One day, this blade might even be yours."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

This was not what he'd hoped it would be. Finally, after waiting and wanting so long, Finn's father had taken him on a raid with him. They had traveled far this time, deep into the jungle where a small, but prosperous town lay ripe for the sacking. It had already been over a week, and this trip would take at least another four before they finally made their way back home. He had no idea this is what his family really did to people. Screams could be heard off in the distance as his siblings rounded up the remaining stragglers, brandishing their blades towards anyone who resisted them.

Some of his older cousins, aunt, and uncle were currently ransacking houses. They left no stone un-turned looking for any valuables inside to take for their own, and once they were finished they'd set fire to the place for good measure. A pile of valuables was left guarded by some of the younger jackals near the center of the small town, and it only kept getting bigger as more and more homes were destroyed. Finn was tasked with keeping lookout, standing in the thick branches of the jungle trees and directing Tempest and Lance towards their targets. Beside him stood an older jackal, Finn's father, observing his son's work. His fur was dark brown and markings off-white just like the pup's siblings, a myriad of scars littered the older jackal's body, and his mane was worn up in a long mohawk that hung down into several braided pieces resting on his shoulders. A curved red sword with deep blue adornments rested strapped to his muscular frame by a dark leather strap around his waist.

The older jackal wore a proud smile, glad to finally have another one of his children along for a raid. Finn had done exceptionally well so far, having already saved his brother Lance. He knocked an angry villager who'd attempted to retaliate unconscious by simply aiming a well-placed stone right between the man's eyes. Though he may be slower than his elder siblings currently were, Finn had shown remarkable speed and reflexes, much faster than they'd been at his age. He'd also showcased exceptional vision, even with the scar that rested on his left eye he hadn't missed a single villager in the pandemonium of the initial charge. With time and training this child would shape up to be one of the best mercenaries in the Jackal Squad. Phelix couldn't be prouder of his son.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

A series of loud, high pitched howls from the squad members down below signaled that the raid was finally over. It was time to take their spoils to the black market for trade and sell to the highest bidder. Phelix patted his son on the shoulder, snapping him out of his alert gaze scanning the edges of the town. He hated this, he really did, but when he looked up and saw his father's proud smile his heart soared. Never had his father shown him any affection, any hint that he even cared about the pup much, until now. "You have done well my son, I wish I could've bent the rules and brought you along sooner." With a sideways smile, the elder jackal nodded his head and hopped down to help his comrades divvy up the load for all of them to carry across the desert.

Even if this was awful, these were his family, right? Family stuck together, no matter what, even if he didn't necessarily agree with what they were doing...he'd do it. He craved his father's attention, and his sibling's affection. He wanted to see that proud look his father gave him when he exceeded the expectations set for him. Before any of this he'd honed his skills for this very moment, any time he spent away from Gadget he'd spent training to the point of near exhaustion. A few times the wolf had even found him passed out in their usual spot, and had to carry him back to his worried mother at the clinic to make sure he was ok. Ever since his twelfth birthday the wolf had grown more curious about what exactly the jackal family did on their so-called 'errands'. Finn honestly didn't think he had the heart to tell his best friend that he was from a family of marauding thieves. What would he even think? The jackal pup sighed, he would find out eventually, the wolf was too smart for his own good. When the time came, he'd tell his friend, but not yet. Not when his journey had just begun.

Thoughts of seeing the wolf again weighed heavy on his heart, he hadn't gone this long without seeing the ginger since they'd met so long ago. He wondered what he was up to, probably just messing around on his laptop with friends from the schoolhouse, or making some crazy new invention with his father. Lost in thoughts of his friend, the stress of his first successful mission slowly faded away from Finn's tired mind. "Hey Finny, get your lazy hide down here and help!" Tempest yelled, snapping Finn out of his trance. "Yeah, yeah i'm coming." he grumbled, but there was no real annoyance in his tone, and a smile graced his lips.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

Their ride through the desert was a pleasant one, he had been rewarded for his good performance with a hoverboard scavenged from one of the jungle huts. It wasn't the most advanced tech in the world, but Finn didn't care one bit. He loved the feeling of the wind in his mane, and though the hot desert wind scorched his face he felt free and alive. His sibling Tempest joined him, having received a board of her own for equally impressive performance in the raid, as usual. "How are you enjoying your first trip, baby brother?" She questioned, her fangs sticking out of the crooked smirk she wore.

Finn looked at her and contemplated his response before responding with a question of his own "Is it always like this?" She chuckled, what a naive little pup her brother was, no matter how skilled he may be. "No love, eventually the novelty will wear off, though I never tire of the spoils." She stroked a new necklace she'd acquired lovingly. "What about dad...did he treat you the same way when you first started?" A laugh this time, loud and laced with a slight tone of contempt. "Oh no dear, you're his favorite. Always have been, didn't you know that?" This information surprised Finn, if he was his father's favorite he sure had a funny way of showing it. Lance sprinted up between the two hoverboard riders, having overheard a bit of their conversation, seeming slightly out of breath after running for so long with such a heavy load to carry.

As if reading his mind by looking at Finn's contemplative expression, his brother added "He keeps you distant because he wants to make you stronger, and clearly whatever he did it worked. You did a good job today buddy, saved my butt." The young jackal nodded in acknowledgement and smiled, not only was he getting attention from his father, he felt closer to his older siblings too. Together the three rode in the middle of the pack all the way to their resting spot for the night. Once they arrived near the base of a large overhanging cliff the Jackal squad stopped and unloaded for the night. They shared stories by the campfire, laughed, and talked like a true family. When the fire died down and the rowdy jackals started falling into slumber one by one, Finn and his siblings huddled up together and rested under the stars. In the distance the sharp eyes of their father watched over his children for the night.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The next morning Finn woke to a loud snore, right in his ear. He cringed, forgetting how noisy Lance could be sometimes when he slept. A shadow crept over their huddled forms, and Finn looked up into the eyes of his father. They still held that same proud look from yesterday, and he offered his paw to his son to help him up and out from underneath his siblings. As he removed himself from the pile of sleeping jackals, they groaned and shifted before resting comfortably and falling back into a light slumber. His father kept a firm grip on his paw as he lead the pup up a path to the top of the rocky crag that currently shaded the Jackal Squad from the rising morning sun. Looking out across the desert Finn could see the dark purples and blues of the night fade into bright oranges and pinks as the sun peeked over the horizon. His father released his paw, and walked slowly over to the edge of the cliff, sitting down and dangling his legs over the side.

Finn stood silently surveying the scene for a moment, but received a sidelong glance from his father that snapped him out of his sleepy haze. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and then mirrored his father's position on the edge of the cliff and waited in silence for the older jackal to speak. He received another pat to the head, his father's large paw ruffled his hair playfully, and as he looked over at his father he was shocked to see unshed tears filling eyes that seemed to desperately long for...something. After a few more moments of Phelix petting his son's soft white mane he spoke "You remind me so much of your mother, son." He started, "When you were born, I was so happy. You looked just like her, had her beautiful eyes, her jet-black fur and snow-white markings..." Finn was awestruck, never had his father willingly talked about his mother before, he only really heard about her during hushed conversations, or when he occasionally worked up the courage to ask about her. He was always quickly shooed away with "We'll tell you when you're older." Eventually he had just stopped asking, and was left to wonder what she'd been like. He had one vague memory of her, when he was very, very small. He had barely turned three, and on the day of his third birthday his mother had given him a special scarf that matched the one that hung around her own neck.

His father chuckled lightly "Now look at you, you even seem to have inherited her incredible abilities. She was always talented at everything she put her mind to, she was probably the stubbornest woman I've ever met." Finn fiddled with his paws in his lap, not sure what to do or say to his father, he felt like the elder jackal expected him to do something, but he wanted to hear more. "You have so much potential son, and seeing your performance I have made a very important decision." The young pup tensed, he wasn't sure he liked the tone that his father was using. "I want you to lead the Jackal squad, as my successor. You have the skill, and in time you will surpass even me. It will be a long, rigorous training process, but with me as your mentor you'll become one of the most feared mercenaries on mobius." When Finn looked up at his father, a wicked smile tinted gold by the rising sun was all he saw.


	6. Electricity

**The reports of the missing Mobians on South island, while spotty at best, indicate that Dr. Robotnik had been using the inhabitants of the island in his experiments to create animal-powered machines. However, recently, there have been sightings of a blue blur destroying these contraptions and freeing the animals inside.  
** _"Heh, that Sonic fellow is quite brave kid, facing that madman head-on." "Yeah, he is pretty cool...hey dad." "Yes son?" "Should we be concerned? South island isn't too far from the coast...what if he comes here." "Don't worry about it kiddo, G.U.N will keep us safe."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

Steth startled awake, a resounding crash had sounded downstairs waking her up from her power nap before she had to be back to work. Downstairs Gadget and Gizmo were working on something very unique. Gadget had asked his father for some help building a design, a contraption that could help him move quicker by grappling onto his surroundings and swinging in the desired direction. Gizmo was, of course, skeptical of this design by after looking over the blueprints and making a few tweaks of his own this project was starting to look more and more interesting. They'd almost completed their work, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out how to get the blasted trigger to work properly. The buggy contraption kept shooting off at random times, in random directions and making a ruckus. He handed the device off to Gadget to fidget with while he cleaned up the mess, hoping they hadn't been too loud.

Steth made her way down to the lowest level of the house, where Gizmo's office away from work was. She'd been hesitant about letting her husband build a laboratory at home, but he'd promised that work wouldn't get in the way of family and he'd made good on that promise for as long as they'd been together. The she-wolf poked her head down into the den, smiling as she watched her boys bonding over their passion. She was so happy that Gadget had picked up on his father's habits rather than her own, while she loved the medical field it was rigorous and exhausting working at the clinic. She rubbed her eyes and made her way into the laboratory, it looked like a small tornado had blown through the place, there were parts scattered absolutely everywhere.

"Hello boys, hope I'm not interrupting you. What's with all the noise?" She asked calmly, walking over to her husband and planting a quick peck on his lips before surveying the mess the lab was in. "Well ya' see hun', our little guy has made quite a complicated design, we're just making the finishing touches, but-" "Aha!" Gadget exclaimed from his seat in his father's large leather computer chair. He'd been fiddling with a few components, and finally he figured out what the problem was. "Have ya' figured it out m'boy?" His father exclaimed, ushering his wife over with a gentle arm around her shoulder to show off their fine work. Gadget showed off his new, fully functional invention to his parents, who smiled on proudly at their enthusiastic little genius.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

Gadget made his way to the schoolyard sluggishly, he hadn't gotten much sleep since he'd been tinkering on his latest project. For his sake, he hoped that today's lesson was easy, and he didn't have to pay much attention. Making his way into the classroom he took his usual seat by the window in the back of the classroom. It provided a good view of a cluster large palm trees and a nice shady patch of grass a few yards away, one of the spots where his jackal friend usually waited for him to be released for the day. Unfortunately he still hadn't returned from his trip with his family, it slightly concerned Gadget but he knew Finn and his family were tough, they could handle themselves.

A loud bang on his desk startled the poor wolf, and when he turned he was met with a pair of bright blue eyes. His cat friend, Camellia, was awfully close and starting very intently at him. She had a bright pink pelt, and wore a black tank top and dark grey shorts. Her gloves and boots were a matching shade of bright yellow accented with black. Behind her his other close friend, Ave the Osprey leaning on his own desk with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. His feathers were a dull shade of aquamarine, a few on his head stuck up at various angles. He wore his usual outfit that was all black, goggles, a t-shirt, black fingerless gloves, and converse. "What's up buddy!" She asked in her usual gleeful tone, she was always happy to see her friends whenever she could. Even if it was at school, which her and Ave shared a mutual dislike for. Gadget didn't mind going to school though, he got to see his friends and learn lots of new things.

However, today was an exception to the rule, he had dark circles under his eyes and all he wanted to do was go back home, curl up in bed, and sleep the rest of the day away. "Same as usual Camellia, how are you two this morning?" Camellia simply offered a bright smile, and replied for the both of them "We're great! We finished our project early so we won't really have much to do in class today. Did you finish yours?" Project...OH NO! Sheer panic gripped Gadget as he remembered they'd had an assignment to finish, he'd been so busy tinkering he completely forgot. Ave spoke up, "You forgot again didn't you dude, don't sweat it you can copy ours." Gadget sighed in relief as Ave offered him the finished papers to copy down, he really did have great friends.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The trio sat at lunch chatting about their next assignment for English class, they were supposed to write a paper about their role models. Of course, Camellia had chosen some glammed-out pop-gone-punk star to write her paper about. Ave had chosen a famous pilot for his essay, the bird who charted the course across the sea to some island for the first time. When they asked Gadget who his role model was going to be a few thoughts crossed his mind, of course he looked up to his father but that was too cliché. Perhaps Finn, he did really look up to the jackal, but that seemed a bit off too. He did have one other person in mind, someone who'd been on the news quite a bit recently.

A certain mad doctor had been sending robots all over Mobius to kidnap mobians and animals to use in some sort of strange robotic experiment. Gadget had been scared about this news for some time, but one late night he stayed up late with his father watching the news channel, and what he saw inspired him. A blue hedgehog, probably only a year or two older than him had taken a stand against the doctor and started destroying his robots and freeing the kidnapped mobians. "Sonic the Hedgehog," Gadget blurted out suddenly, earning him strange looks from both of his friends. "Sonic the who-what now?" Camellia asked, Ave interjected before Gadget could go on one of his long spiels. "Sonic the Hedgehog. That kid on the news who's been fighting Dr. Robotnik right?" The wolf nodded his head furiously "He's so cool! And he's a real live hero! Plus, he's not much older than we are." The ginger gushed, causing his two friends to shake their head in faux disapproval. "You'll have to work on your athletics a bit if you wanna be like him bud, you totally suck at running." Ave pointed out, they all shared in lighthearted laughter before continuing their meal, Gadgets eyes wandering over to the far window.

A few moments of silence passed before the cat spoke up. "So, are you ever gonna introduce us to your jackal friend, Gadget?" Camellia asked with a sly smile, taking this opportunity to rile up her friend. Every day since the wolfs 'mystery friend' as Ave and her had dubbed him, had gone on his trip Gadget spent most of his free time staring at the window where the other canine usually waited for school to adjourn. "He's pretty cute, is he taken?" She asked in a teasing manner, causing Gadget's face to brighten in a blush. "U-um I don't think so. He doesn't really like people, but when he gets back from his trip I can introduce you." "How come he doesn't have to go to school like the rest of us?" Ave grumbled, annoyed that he was stuck here while some other kid god to roam free. "Well his family lives out in the desert, and I don't think they really believe in school." Camellia giggled "They sound like a cool family to me." Gadget looked down, reminiscing about when Finn had taken him out to meet his family weeks ago. "Yeah, I suppose they do."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The day had finally come to an end, and his friends followed closely behind him in anticipation of the unveiling of his newest invention. He rifled around in his pack for a few moments before finally pulling out a rather bulky wrist band and attaching it to his right arm. A reel of wire attahed to it and sat comfortably inside a second backpack, which the wolf had lugged around with him all day so he could show off his latest and greatest creation. "May I present, my grappling wire!" Gadget bowed in a mock bragging pose, and his friends both clapped and laughed in amusement. The wolf adjusted a few settings before pointing his wrist at a nearby tree and pressing down on the trigger, launching the wire out of the contraption to wrap around the trees and fling him forward. He beamed as he sailed through the air and spun around the trees before realizing one important thing, he hadn't really gotten the hang of landing yet.

Yelling in surprise the wolf flailed his arms around wildly, his eyes closed tight bracing to land right on top of his friends who were scrambling to get out of the airborn wolf's way. He felt himself stop mid-air, and when he felt no other impact he opened his eyes and was met with another pair, one bright gold, and one sky blue staring down at him. They hovered a few feet above the ground on the jackal's hoverboard, he had caught the wolf bridal style in his descent towards his terrified friends. "FINN!" Gadget yelled, not caring about the awkward position they were in, and reaching up to give his friend a hug that was just a tad too tight. The jackal sputtered at the sudden show of affection from his friend, before patting the wolf's back awkwardly to attempt to return the embrace. He stomped his foot, commanding the hoverboard to lower down to the ground, and finally set the Ginger back down on his own two feet. "Getting into trouble without me I see." Finn said with a smirk on his face, completely oblivious to the other two mobians starting at them with awed expressions.

Camellia was the first to snap out of her stupor, quickly taking this opportunity to introduce herself. She walked over to the jackal and took his paw in both of her own before he even knew what was going on, and shook it vigorously. "Hello! My name is Camellia the cat, it's so nice to finally meet Gadget's best friend!" The Osprey simply shook his head in disapproval, before joining them and removing the cat from Finn before she ended up hurting the poor guy. "Ave the Osprey, nice to meet you dude." The bird mumbled, dodging an oncoming fist from the annoyed cat. "When did you get back from your trip?" Gadget asked excitedly, he couldn't wait to hear all about Finn's first outing with his family. "Er, I just got back a little while ago, look I really need to talk to you Gadg." Finn said, with a worried expression and both paws resting on the wolfs shoulders. "Can we come too?" The cat asked, excited to finally meet this stranger that Gadget spent so much time with. Finn glowered over at them "Alone." He said firmly, before looking back down at the wolf.

The ginger nodded before looking back over at his friends "Maybe another time guys, I'll see you at school tomorrow ok?" Ave nodded, and pulled the pouting cat away from the scene so the two canines could talk in peace. Gadget watched the receding backs of his two friends as Finn stepped back onto his hoverboard, and offered his paw for Gadget to join him. It was a wobbly start, but as the board rose off the ground the pair found their balance, and Finn directed the board to soar off to their favorite spot.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The sun was setting off in the distance, hues of blue and purple covered the shimmering surface of the lake as the pair flew overhead. The jackal leaned forward ever so slightly to lower the board down towards the water, the rockets propelling the board forward created jets of glimmering water around them as they flew. The jackal looked behind him at the ginger who was dazzled by the beautiful colors the spray of water reflected and smirked. As they approached their usual spot Finn lifted the board up and away from the water, and halted to a stop causing the two to lurch forward and lose their balance. The board skidded to the ground as both pairs of feet flew off of it, and the duo ended up in yet another tangle of limbs. "Ow..." the wolf groaned, having landed on the bottom of the heap flat on his back. "Sorry, guess I don't really having stopping down quite yet." The jackal apologized, lifting himself off his friend and sitting back on his knees. "That makes two of us I guess." The wolf joked, sitting up and shaking his head to stop it from spinning from the crash landing.

After brushing of the debris from the crash, the two made themselves comfortable in their usual position. Finn sat with his legs dangling off a few flat rocks hanging above a patch of grass which Gadget had claimed for himself. The silence stretched on between them, Finn was keeping his eyes downcast and avoided making eye contact with the confused ginger. Finally the wolf had enough, he broke the silence "Ok Finn, what's going on? Why are you being so quiet I thought you wanted to talk?" The jackal finally mustered up the courage to look at his companion, his eyes told the whole story, whatever this was it wasn't going to be good. "I'm leaving again...for a long time." The jackal finally blurted out, the look of shock on the wolf's face made his statement all the more painful. "W-what do you mean? Why?" The ginger asked, genuinely confused, he knew Finn would be going on trips with his family frequently, but he was making it sound like they might never see each other again.

"My father said it could take a few months, maybe years. It depends on how fast I learn..." the jackal continued, jumping down from his perch and leaning down to be eye level with the wolf. "He wants me to succeed him in leading our squad. Wants to train me to become the leader of our whole family, this is a huge deal Gadget. Please understand..." He placed his paws on Gadgets shoulders, partially to calm the ginger, and partially to ground himself. This was a hard decision, he wasn't sure when or if he'd see this person, the first one to ever show him true kindness since he lost his mother. Still he had decided already, he would lead the Jackal squad when his father stepped down, this was the path he wanted, needed to take. He wanted to become stronger, faster, smarter, he wanted a purpose in his life and this was it. Another prolonged silence, Gadget was the one avoiding eye contact with the jackal now. Two green-clad paws clenched by the gingers side as he lowered his head and flattened his ears ever so slightly. The jackal squeezed his shoulders, silently pleading for the wolf to just _look_ at him.

It started out as a strong question, but as the wolf spoke it faded to a whisper, the last word of his sentence was barely audible. "You'll come back though, right? Eventually?" Another moment of silence before the ginger finally looked up, seeking confirmation in his friend's eyes. "Of course I will." The jackal quickly replied, realizing he was holding onto his friend's shoulders just a bit tighter than was probably comfortable for either of them. The paws that had been fisted so tight at the wolf's sides reached up so quickly Finn barely had time to react. They wrapped around the jackal's waist, pulling him forward into his friends embrace, and a firm press of the ginger's lips against his own. He only had enough wits about him to widen his eyes in shock, the gentle pressure of his friend's lips on his own was electrifying. When Gadget finally pulled away from the start struck canine, his smile was blinding. "Then it's ok. I'll wait for you." It was like simultaneously getting punched in the gut, and floating on a cloud. The jackal didn't know how to react, so he just stood there, red faced, eyes wide, and mouth still slightly hanging open.

While one hand still clutched his waist gently, the other was lifted to his face to wipe away tears the jackal didn't even realize were spilling. He quickly pulled his face away from the gentle touch, and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his arm, not wanting to look weak in front of his friend. "S-sorry..." he muttered, earning a laugh from the ginger. His chin was grasped, and head turned to face the wolf again before another light peck was placed on his lips, the jackal did his best to return the kiss this time. Staring into each other's eyes made them both feel something foreign to their young minds, and in a typical display of complete social inexperience the jackal asked the big question. "What does this make us...?" The wolf tried, he really did, but a snort still escaped before he burst out into a fit of laughter. Finn wore an agitated glower, he was confused as to just what was so freaking funny, and so he lightly punched Gadget on the shoulder.

When the laughter finally died down the wolf finally replied, "I'm not sure, what do you want to be Finn?" The silence between them was thick and heavy this time, a serious look graced the jackal's face, finally after a few moments he grabbed the paws that had been resting on his waist in his own, and held them between them. "Gadget, will you be my boyfriend." Another short pause, the wolfs eyes were hooded in contemplation but he didn't remove his paws from the jackals. "On one condition...promise me you'll come back." One paw was removed from Finn's grasp, and a pinkie claw was held out like so many years ago on the rooftop of Gadget's home. The claw was grasped in Finn's own pinkie claw, and they shook silently. This time the jackal leaned forward, removing his paws from the other's and wrapping one around the ginger's waist, and the other into the spiked fur on the back of his head. It was awkward, their teeth clanked and noses bumped, but the feeling of having someone to love and hold was enough for both of them not to care one bit.


	7. Bonding

**The Oasis, and the other villages on this side of Mobius are home to a wide variety of different Mobians and animals alike, ranging anywhere from canines, to felines, and everything in-between. However it is not uncommon for families of animals to form their own smaller towns as well, such as the packs of wolves, jackals, coyotes, or even prides of** **lions.**  
 _"I don't think this is a very good idea hun'." "It's not right, that RUNT has no place in the leadership of this pack." "He is your brother's son, it's his birthright." "He surrendered that right when he decided to bring an outsider into OUR territory. It's time to see just how badly this weakness has affected him." "Be careful love, if your brother sees you..." "I know."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The date was set, two months from now Finn would be leaving to become the leader of the Jackal Squad. After their talk on the beach he'd returned home, reluctantly, and spoke to his father. Phelix had told him to spend his time preparing and saying his goodbyes to his wolf friend, who despite the young jackal's efforts, had been known to his father the whole time. The elder warned him not to get attached to anyone outside the pack, and told his son it would be best to put an end to it now. He disliked his son's blatant disregard for his orders, but he'd allow their little friendship to continue, for now. With a heavy heart the jackal pup had returned to the little oasis to spend his final few weeks with his new partner. When he'd arrived back to their spot at the time they'd both agreed on, the wolf had been patiently waiting for him, toying with his laptop.

With hooded eyes the wolf scrolled through pages of news, he'd been working on his report on his new role model for a few hours now, but the news on the hedgehog was overwhelming. It seemed like every move Dr. Robotnik made was matched with a speedy response from the little blue hero, quickly thwarting whatever schemes the doctor hatched. Green gloves flew across the keyboard, finishing a few more sentences before the ginger's ears perked up at the soft patter of approaching footsteps. Darkness suddenly assaulted the wolf's vision, and he heard his glasses land on the laptop resting in his lap with a soft click. "Guess who." A soft whisper in his ear gave the little wolf goosebumps, and he brought his hands up to cover the smaller ones resting on his eyes. "Hmm, let me think..." the wolf hummed in mock concentration, and he reached up behind him to touch the mystery person.

The wolf nudged his laptop off his lap with his knee, and in one swift movement brought his hands underneath the arms of said person, and pulled him up and over his head. The jackal let out a startled noise as he was lifted and landed with a thud on the other side of the wolf, his head landing in the lap of the ginger. The wolf pup lowered his head and gently bumped his nose against his partner's, smirking at the jackal's disgruntled expression. "Finn." He said in a 'matter-of-fact' tone, and then chuckled and ran his paws through soft white locks. The jackal had decided to wear his mane down today, and as a result is lay in a sprawl across the wolf's crossed legs, and hung over his face in a frizzy mess from being so suddenly thrown. The jackal blew a piece of fair out of his face and smiled at the ginger's antics, lifting his arms and wrapping them around the waist behind his head. "You're no fun." He grumbled before looking down at the open document on the laptop laying harmlessly beside them. "What are you writing?" He asked, adjusting himself slightly so he was more comfortable laying on the wolf's lap. Gadget picked up the laptop and rested it on Finn's chest, pulling up some of the articles he'd been browsing. "I have an assignment from school, we're supposed to be writing an essay about our role models. I chose this kid, he's so cool!"

Finn tilted his head to the side and looked up at his partner with an imitation of a pout on his lips. "Should I be jealous?" He asked in a sarcastic voice, pulling the laptop closer to his face to read some of the information on the screen. The wolf laughed, pulling up the essay on his laptop and hitting the save button before clicking it shut and setting it off to the side once again. "I mean, if you were my role model that would mean I would want to be you. Would you really want to date yourself?" The jackal snorted, placing a hand on his chest and puffing it up in an exaggerated motion, and running his other through his hair. "Heck yeah, I'd date me. Wouldn't you?" The pair shared a good laugh, and the wolf placed his paw over the one on Finn's chest before leaning down and pecking the jackal lightly on the lips. "I suppose."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Finn and Gadget walked hand in hand towards the school house, the jackal was extremely nervous about the activity they'd chosen for the day. The demands of Gadget's friend Camellia had been too much for the wolf, and he'd finally conceded to the four of them hanging out so she'd leave him alone. She'd insisted on it for days once Gadget had told her they were a pair, and though he'd pretended not to be that interested, Ave silently contributed to chipping away at Gadget's resolve. The jackal had of course objected at first, but he just couldn't say no to the wolf and had eventually agreed to spend the day with them. Finn had pulled his hair into a messy ponytail, with a few pieces to frame his face and hide his off-color eye from the pair they were to spend the day with. Finn's only solace is that the wolf had graciously let him pick what they'd be doing after getting food, and he'd picked a good one. No matter how much the wolf asked he refused to tell, claiming it would be a surprise.

As the schoolyard came into view Finn's steps slowed, but he was still pulled forward by the energetic wolf, who was actually pretty happy his friends were all going to spend some time together. When the pair finally spotted Gadget's friends Ave was leaning against a palm tree with his head phones resting on his shoulders bobbing his head to the music he was listening to, and Camellia was sitting near him in the grass reading a magazine. Once the cat caught sight of the canines she quickly shoved her magazine into her backpack, and jumped up waving enthusiastically, Ave simply put his hand up in a greeting gesture. "Hey Gadget! Hello...umm" She blanked, though the wolf talked about his mystery friend often he'd never actually given a name. The jackal sighed, this was going to be difficult, but he was going to be as friendly as he could, for Gadget. He held out his paw for the cat to shake, nodding his head in her general direction. "Finn the Jackal." He did his best to hide his nerves as she shook his paw in her own, giggling as she winked at Gadget who stood beside them.

The wolf scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and grunted as Ave roughly patted his back and leaned on his shoulder. "Trust me dude, I'm just as 'stoked' as you are about this. She has been talking nonstop about how much 'fun' today will be." The jackal pulled his paw away once he realized the cat was not going to release her grip without him forcing her to do so. "So where are we going to eat..." He grumbled, inching closer to his boyfriend and glowering at his paw like the contact had burned him. "Well there is this awesome frozen yogurt shop not too far from Gadget's house, it just opened not too long ago and Ave knows the owner's son. We figured we'd go try it out!" Gadget and Finn shared a concerned look, that wasn't what they'd expected. "Ice cream this early?" The wolf questioned, looking between his two friends with a quizzical expression. "Breakfast of champions." The osprey said smirking, the jackal tilted his head and looked over to his partner. "What's yogurt?"

It was a genuine question, but the trio still looked at the canine as if he'd grown a second head. "You've never heard of yogurt?!" The cat gasped, and patted the jackal on the back roughly in a comforting gesture. He narrowed his eyes in her direction, she got the hint and gave him some space. "Is it some kind of meat?" The group laughed, and the cat responded with a wink "No, but don't worry, you'll love it." Gleefully she adjusted her backpack before pointing towards the path and taking the first steps. "Onward!" The three boys shook their head in unison and followed the giddy feline towards their destination.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

They reached the frozen yogurt shop in record time, the cat had set a merciless pace and the boys struggled to keep up the same speed behind her. When they arrived Ave greeted his friend, another osprey, with a fist bump that turned into some sort of secret handshake, before being quickly presented with a menu and given the best seat in the house. The shop was only a window for them to order, with the entirety of the seating being outdoors in a large gated area, their table was located to the far side of the venue. It granted a lovely view of the village from the hill it sat atop, they could see all the way to the edge of the lake and the cliffs that lay beyond. To the jackal's dismay, the menu included no meat, or anything else in his usual diet.

Apparently, yogurt was some sort of frozen milk, he didn't show much interest in anything and so he elected to simply get whatever Gadget was ordering. The cat ordered a strawberry mix, with candy and sprinkles decorating the top of her treat, and Ave ordered a chocolate mixture with chunks of cookies and whipped cream on top. Gadget had ordered something simple, a caramel vanilla swirl topped with nuts, Finn mimicked his order and the osprey's friend took off to retrieve their orders in a hurry. "So how have you guys been doing on your reports?" The wolf asked, lacing his paw with Finn's and setting it on the table between them. The was a bit hesitant about the blatant public display of affection, but allowed the contact anyways, placing his elbow on the table and his head in his hand staring off towards the lake.

"I'm just about finished with mine, though it's hard to find much without spending a lot of time at the library. Most of the information his hidden away in old news articles." The bird chirped, for once excited about school since he had a fondness for aviation and was finally allowed to write about something he actually cared about. "Glad at least one of us is getting somewhere, whenever I try to do any research I end up getting distracted by all the tabloid gossip on her, I can't tell what's true and what's rumor!" The cat said in frustration, she looked at the canine's laced hands and smiled at the two. "What about you Gadget, have you finished yours yet? Or have you been...preoccupied?" She giggled, the jackal glanced over in her direction and glared in annoyance. "Actually, I'm almost done. Everything I've read about Sonic is rumor at best, since he's so fast nobody can really get a chance to talk to the guy." The pair nodded, before the osprey turned to the jackal who'd been silent up until now. "What about you, you got someone you admire?" The jackal contemplated for a moment, before shrugging and looking back at the two across the table. "My father I suppose." The two shared a glance, now was their chance to learn something about the mysterious canine. "What's he like?" The cat asked with a curious tone, placing her elbows on the table and her head in her hands and staring at the jackal, eyes sparkling with curiosity. Finn glanced at Gadget, who also stared at him with a similar expression, having never actually met the older jackal before. "He's...pretty strict. Doesn't' really like outsiders, but he's a good leader. Our whole family looks up to him, and before long I'll be groomed to take his place as leader of the pack."

The awed gasps of his friends were silenced with the footsteps of Ave's friend as he brought them their frozen treats. "Enjoy. It's on the house man, hope you like it." Their food was placed in front of them and the osprey waved to his friend as he rushed away to serve other customers. Everyone but Finn dug in immediately, but the jackal just prodded at his order with the brightly colored spoon he'd been provided. "C'mon Finn, it won't bite." The wolf said with an encouraging smile, taking a small bite of his own to prove his point. The jackal sighed, gathered a large spoonful and took a bite, immediately regretting it. The fur on his neck bristled, eyes widened, and tail fluffed as the frosty food melted in his mouth. "COLD!" He exclaimed as he held his mouth, his teeth burned from biting something so cold. The group laughed at the jackal's surprising outburst, making the canine blush furiously. "You're not supposed to bite it you dork!" The wolf explained, scooping up a much smaller scoop with his own spoon and offering it to the jackal. "Here, take small scoops, and lick it off the spoon." The jackal reluctantly lowered his head and accepted the offering from his partner, this time finding it much more enjoyable. "Oh..." he muttered, poking at his yogurt once again before taking another small scoop and putting it in his mouth. "That's much better."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The group continued to prod the jackal pup for more information on his pack, which he replied as best he could without giving away too much information. Their food was almost gone, and it seemed like Finn was much more comfortable now that he'd been talking for a while, it made the Ginger happy to see his friends getting along. Of course, everything good must come to end. A large paw was slammed down on their table between the two canines, making them jump and knocking their empty cups off the side with a loud clatter. Finn turned around to glare at the intruder, and his blood immediately ran cold. Kodiak stood behind them with a frown marring his chubby face, his two friends stood behind him with arms crossed.

"Well, well, well what do we have here. Didn't think I'd see ya' this far into town, freak." The jackal immediately snapped out of his frightened daze, and rose up out of his seat and right into the bear's personal space. "Yeah and what of it?" He spat Kodiak, Gadget's friends had gotten up as well, leaving he wolf to stare on as his boyfriend glared down the taller mobian. "I believe you and yer' little friends are in OUR spot. Why don't ya' do everyone a favor and march yer' freaky mug back under whatever rock ya' crawled out from under." The bear inched closer to the jackal, puffing his chest out in an attempt to display his dominance over the shorter mobian. "Back off Kodiak, we were just leaving." Ave said quickly making his way over to the pair, attempting to diffuse the situation before it escalated. They were starting to cause a scene. Camellia had made her way around the table to Gadget, she crossed her arms over her chest in irritation. "You're one to talk ugly. Beat it and leave my friend alone, this isn't YOUR table."

By this time the wolf had rose out of his seat, and placed a hand on the jackal's arm, trying to calm him down. "C'mon Finn, forget these guys let's go." The bear grappled Finn by the scarf, causing the jackal to choke and claw at Kodiak's arms in an attempt to release himself. His hair had fallen out of his face, revealing the scar the bear had left there. "That's a nice scar you got there freak, what say you I give you a black eye to match." The bear said in a menacing tone. The wolf quickly jumped into action, preparing himself for a fight, this guy was clearly not going to back down. "Let him go NOW Kodiak!" Gadget yelled, moving to push the bear away from Finn. The bear growled and snapped his head towards the wolf before quickly releasing the jackal and shoving the startled ginger backwards with brute strength. "Stay outta' this mutt, you won't save his flea ridden butt this time."

Gadget flew backwards into the table, knocking it over with a loud clatter and landing on his side groaning in pain. His glasses had gone flying off his face and landed on the ground, the sound of glass shattering sent a wave of rage surging through the jackal. Something inside him snapped. With a shout he lunged at the bear with all the force he could muster, grappling with the larger mobian in an attempt to knock him down. It was a losing battle, the bear crushed his paws in his own larger ones, but Finn was much smarter than this meathead and swiftly brought his boot behind the other's foot, tripping him and sending them both toppling to the ground. He sat on top of the flabbergasted bear, knocking the wind out of him and crushing his arms to his sides with his legs. Reeling back, the jackal struck, the sound of the first punch echoed throughout the shop. It followed by startled gasps from onlookers as the jackal snarled, unleashing his fury on his foe. Punch after punch, he raised his now bloodied fists and brought them back down on the bear's face with the wild abandon.

Huffing with the exertion, the jackal finally stopped as he was pulled off the bear by Ave while Camellia helped Gadget recover from his fall. "Don't you ever touch him again lardo. I will make you _regret_ it!" Ave held his friend back from attacking the bear again as Kodiak's companions helped him up from his position sprawled out on the ground. Now sporting a rapidly swelling black eye, two bloody cheeks, a split lip, and a broken nose the bear cowered as the jackal attempted to lunge, stopped only by the bird struggling to hold the enraged canine. The owner's son arrived on the scene, glowering at the group of older mobians who he'd seen harass his friend's companions. "I think you three need to leave." He said pointing towards the exit, Ave chimed in while still attempting to calm Finn, though he'd stopped struggling. "The clinics that way. Go get your friend some medical attention...and some mental help." The two shocked teens huffed as they hoisted Kodiak on their shoulders and left the premise. "Oh, and don't come back." The owner's son shouted to their receding forms.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

Finn pulled away from the hold he was being kept in, rubbing his sore neck from the earlier abuse before looking over to Gadget. He rushed over to the ginger's side, noticing the broken glasses laying a few feet away. Camellia got up to retrieve them, allowing Gadget to place both shoulders on his partner's shoulders and attempt to examine him. "Are you OK? Did he hurt you?" The wolf asked in a panic, he couldn't see a thing without his glasses and thus couldn't tell if the jackal had been injured. "I'm fine Gadg, you're the one he pushed. Your glasses..." "Forget about them, I have a spare in my bag. I'm just glad you're ok." The ginger wrapped his arms around Finn, pulling him into a light embrace before flinching as he brushed his injured side. "Ow..." he groaned, Finn looked down and adjusted to make the wolf more comfortable, noting the large black bruise forming on his hip and his elbow.

"You two ok?" Ave asked walking up to the pair after having talked to the owner and his son and apologizing about the racket, the elder bird had laughed it off and said it hadn't been their fault. Gadget rested his head against Finn's shoulder and closed his eyes, getting a headache from the blurred world around him without his glasses. Camellia returned with shattered eye-wear frowning, and reaching for Gadget's bag to grab the other pair. "WHAT was that jerk's problem?" She asked angrily while rifling through wolf's stuff. "We were just sitting here!" "That was the guy that attacked us a few years ago at the lake, I don't really know why they have such a problem with us..." Gadget replied, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking off the dizziness before accepting the glasses that Camellia offered him.

"It's because of me...I'm sorry." Finn said, a frown marring his downcast face as he looked off to the side in shame. "I'm not from here, and I'm not...normal. They don't like that." "Who cares man, those guys are just jealous of you. You seem pretty cool to me." Ave said, kneeling down and placing a hand on the jackal's shoulder. "Yeah! You are cool! Forget about them, lets enjoy the rest of our day." Camellia chimed in, sitting cross-legged next to Gadget and offering a bright grin to the surprised jackal. They were so...accepting. He'd literally just lost his mind and beat the crap out of someone and still they defended him. Someone they'd barely known. He was grateful for their good nature, and appreciated their kind words. "Thank you." He said with a small smile, before standing and offering his paw to help Gadget up as well. Together the group set off to their next destination, though he didn't expect the day to turn out like this he was happy, he'd made two new unexpected friends.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

"WOAHHH!" The cat yelled, her voice echoing off the walls of the canyon. The jackal was quite satisfied with the amazed expressions of the group when they'd arrived at one of his favorite spots out on the desert. It hadn't been too far of a walk from the oasis, but he'd still given Gadget a ride on his hoverboard to prevent him from irritating his bruises walking. "This place is pretty cool man." Ave said, looking around at the rocky locale he'd chosen. It was a shallow pit, made up into natural bowl shapes that stretched out for a few miles. To both sides of the canyon the red rocks stretched skyward forming nice smooth ramps, and ended with flat tops in varying heights. The perfect place to skateboard. Finn walked over to a cave in the side of the canyon walls where he'd stashed his supplies, a few of his old boards, a cooler full of various drinks and snacks, and some knee-pads and helmets in case they had never done this before. He'd stashed them here in the shade this morning in preparation for later today.

"I used to love coming here when I was little, this is where my brother taught me how to skate." Finn said with pride, he'd gotten pretty good at the sport after years of practice. The group immediately followed the Jackal and strapped on the safety supplies, Ave and Camellia grabbing the boards they took a liking to. Gadget picked up a board but Finn placed his paw on the wolf's shoulder and shook his head. "No way Gadg, you're riding with me." The Jackal said with a smirk, motioning to the hoverboard propped under his arm. The wolf turned to Finn with a sidelong smile, wrapping his arms around the other canine's waist and moving his muzzle close to the jackal's. Completely distracted, Finn didn't notice the paw inching towards the board until the wolf snatched it away and quickly pulled away yelling. "I'm driving!" Laughing loudly as the jackal chased him and reached for the board in a half-asked attempt to steal it back, Gadget tossed the board down and jumped on before taking off. "That's cheating!" Finn yelled behind him.

Eventually the whole group was having fun on their boards, and after a few falls and failed attempts at tricks they started to get the hang of it, they'd even raced a few times. Gadget rode in the front of the hoverboard piloting, while fin stood behind with his arms wrapped firmly around the wolf's waist. Eventually the sun had started to set the group sat down, exhausted from a day of fun skating around the desert. They sat on top of one of the flat ramps of the canyon, enjoying the food and drinks Finn had brought along, and exchanging stories about school, family, friends, and whatever else came up. Finn even brushed aside his mane to reveal his eye to the others, who had yet to realize he had heterochromia. They both agreed that it looked totally awesome, especially with the scar.

Ave and Camellia eventually trailed off into an argument over who would win in a fight, the hawk or the tiger that palled around with Kodiak. Of-course Camellia had sided with the tiger, and Ave the hawk, both claiming their species superiority over the other. Finn and Gadget sat with arms wrapped around each other's backs, the jackal's head rested on the wolf's shoulder. "Did you have fun today?" The ginger asked his half-awake partner, who opened his eyes and hummed in contemplation. "Yeah, I did. We should do this again sometime..." He murmured, before closing his eyes once again, enjoying the soothing circles Gadget rubbed on his back. "We should." The wolf replied, the only reply he got was a soft snore from Finn. He smiled as the jackal's head lulled off the side of his shoulder into the wolf's lap. Green gloves reached up to remove the jackal pup's hair tie and run his fingers through the snow-white fur. "Guys please, it's pretty obvious Finn would kick both their butts." Together they laughed, and watched the sun set in the distance as the jackal slept soundly.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ A/N:** Whew! That was a long one, but I really wanted to add another confrontation with Kodiac, and some more time with the other two avatar characters. I have a three day weekend coming up for Turkey day, so expect lots of updates! Thank you all so much for the reviews so far, I really appreciate every one of them here and on tumblr, and i'm glad everyone's liking the story so far. We're slowly inching towards forces, but its probably going to take quite a few chapters to get there. **/**

 **/ A/N:** If you would like to see some of my artwork for this story, and Indfidget in general check out my art blog! Sickaede Tumblr **/**


	8. Abyss

**The power of the Phantom Ruby transcends time and space, and the gem is not simply a tool but a conscious being. For ages it has been hidden away in the depths of Angel Island, safe from the hands of those who would abuse it's power.**  
 _"Have you ever had a dream that felt...real?" "I suppose, why do you ask?" "I've been having these really creepy ones lately, about that crazy doctor taking over the world." "Hah! The fat man couldn't take over a rock, he can't even stand up to that little blue kid you love so much."  
_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

It was an extremely nice day out; the sun was shining high in the sky and the temperature was absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, a slight breeze carrying the fresh scent of blooming greenery. A perfect day for swimming, and enjoying the company of his three best friends. Finn lounged on the beach under an umbrella reading a book, not wanting to get his mane wet and thus refusing to swim. Camellia and Ave were currently attempting to balance on inner tubes while standing, and failing miserably. Gadget stood atop one of the rocky cliffs hanging just high enough above the water to make the perfect splash. Yelling at the top of his lungs he sprinted forward and leapt right off the edge, curling up into a ball and calling out "CANNON BALL!" Before falling to the water below, a massive wave of water shooting up and successfully knocking the balancing duo off their tubes, and even traveling far enough to drench Finn where he sat on the beach.

The jackal gasped as the cool water washed over him, weighing his white fur down to hang in front of his face and obscure his vision. The wolf surfaced, and upon seeing his indignant boyfriend attempting to brush his drenched mane out of his face laughed gleefully. "Sorry Finn!" He yelled from his place floating in the lake, looking down it seemed like there was no bottom to the large body of water. Beneath him was blackness that seemed to stretch out for miles, in fact now that he actually looked the water wasn't the usual crystal-clear blue he was used to. He lifted his paw from the liquid, examining it and noticing that it wasn't just due to the depth of the lake.

The inky black substance hung from his un-gloved paw in sticky strings that fell with sickening plops back down into the abyss he'd found himself in. Panic gripped the wolf. He looked over to see if Ave and Camellia had noticed too but they were nowhere to be seen, and the inner-tubes they'd been messing around on slowly sunk into the blackness. The ginger's heart was racing as he realized he was slowly sinking too, and his head snapped towards Finn to yell for help. The jackal stood on the shore of the lake, staring at him hooded eyes and an oddly peaceful smile on his lips. Slowly the jackal inched forward, and when his shoes made contact with the slimy black liquid of the lake they didn't sink, but instead rested on top of it as if it was a solid surface.

The ripples created by the jackal's steps were a deep crimson, but seemed to be completely out of place on the thick matter. They had no substance as they passed straight through the wolf when they touched him, sending cold shivers down his spine, everything was ice cold. Finally, his partner had made it all the way over to the wolf, reaching his paw down to lift the terrified pup out of the freezing lake. The ginger grasped the offered paw with his own trembling one, straining to keep it raised as the sticky liquid attempted to pull him back down. However, instead of pulling the wolf up the jackal simply held the ginger's paw and knelt down to come face to face. Terror painted Gadget's face as he realized that Finn looked completely different.

His mane was floating, the white locks of fur spreading out in different directions, and he seemed to be surrounded by a soft red glow. The whites of Finn's his had turned blood red, his scar had grown in size, now spanning from the bottom of his jaw to top of his brow. A triangular hole looked like it had been carved right in the center of his chest, outlined in a thin frame of shiny silver metal, blood slowly oozed from the open wound. His gloves and boots were darker accented with the same silver metal, and his normally trimmed claws were now sharp, digging into the ginger's skin as the jackal's grip tightened. "Finn...?" Tears pricked the poor wolf's eyes, he was absolutely terrified, trying to choke out a coherent sentence and make sense of what was happening. "F-Finn...w-w-what is g-going on...?" He managed to ask, trying to open his mouth was difficult as his teeth refused to stop chattering at the subzero temperature the world had suddenly turned.

A worried look graced the jackal's face as he tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong Gadg?" He asked, as if everything was perfectly normal, he didn't seem to know what was going on either. "Gadg?" He called out to the wolf, placing his other paw on the wolf's cheek and wiping away the tears that were now spilling from his golden eyes. "Gadget?!" The wolf opened his mouth to call out, but no sound came out, and he slowly began to sink further into the abyss which had made its way up to his chin now. "GADGET!" Another yell from his partner, still unable to scream the wolf tried to raise his other arm to grasp Finn, but it wouldn't move. He felt the sharp claws digging into his shoulders attempting to pull him up as his head sunk below the surface of the lake. He felt a sharp pain on the right side of his neck, but he couldn't see anything as blackness overtook all his senses and everything went numb. "GADGET WAKE UP!"

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The wolf's eyes snapped open, and he shot up from his bed with a terrified scream. The jackal had just barely managed to move out of the way before the wolf slammed their heads together, and sighed in relief now that the terrified ginger had finally woken up. Gadget's shaking paw clambered around for his glasses off to his right, which Finn grasped and slid onto the wolf's face. He looked around the room with wide, frenzied eyes, his whole body was shaking and covered in a cold sweat. Tears fell freely from his eyes, and he blinked furiously while scrubbing them in an attempt to stop the flow. "Hey, hey calm down. I'm here." The jackal cooed, climbing up onto Gadget's bed, wrapping one arm around his front and rubbing soothing circles on the ginger's back with the other.

The wolf wiped away a few more tears before reaching up and lightly touching where the hole had been in Finn's chest, finding nothing he reached up to tilt the jackal's head and look into his eyes. White. He ran his un-gloved paws through the jackal's white mane, no floating or weird red glow either. The wolf choked on his sobs, and wrapped both arms around the jackal in a crushing embrace, burying his face in the soft white fur on his chest. He flinched as he felt sharp claws lightly brushing his back, and quickly pulled away grabbing both of his partner's paws and examining the tips. The jackal was extremely confused as the wolf stared intently at his claws, which he'd been growing out for a while now like all his siblings did. They were a handy last resort if a weapon was lost, but they seemed to greatly unsettle the wolf. "S-since when did you grow these out...?" The ginger asked in a trembling voice, lowering their hands and looking at Finn as if he was a ghost. "Er, fairly recently. It's a jackal thing." Finn replied, pulling his hands away and placing them gently on Gadget's shoulders, doing his best not to let his new claws touch the pup's skin.

"Hey, it was just a nightmare...it wasn't real. You're safe, we're in your room remember?" Finn had been spending the last few days here after they'd spent the day with Ave and Camellia, wanting be around his partner as much as he could before he departed with his family. They'd been peacefully sleeping, Gadget on his bed and Finn on the floor next to him laying on a pile of various pillows and blankets. His ears perked at the sound of Gadget mumbling in his sleep. At first, he'd been amused, not realizing that the wolf talked in his sleep, but it quickly turned to fear as he noticed the tears soaking the wolf's cheeks and the pained expression on his face. He tried to shake him, call out his name, yell, but nothing worked. The wolf had started to say his name in a tone that made the jackal's blood run cold, like he was terrified. Still the wolf wouldn't wake, and so the jackal did the only thing that he could think of to wake him up. He bit him. HARD. It seemed to work, as immediately afterwards the wolf had woken, startling the jackal and almost resulting in a painful colliding of skulls.

"Right...my room. I-I'm sorry I just. It was so real...you..." He looked away from the jackal, trying not to picture the nightmare version of him. Without looking at his face the wolf leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his partner's middle in a light embrace, attempting to calm his racing heart. The door clicked open, revealing the concerned face of Gadget's mother who had heard all the screaming and rushed down the hall to see what was wrong. "Everything ok in here boys?" She asked in a whisper, looking in to see Gadget who had buried his face in the jackal's soft chest fur once again, his body still shaking from the occasional hiccup that escaped his lips. "Yes mam', it was just a nightmare. He's ok." Finn replied, she nodded, though her face showed her concern for her son. "I'll fetch a glass of water." The she-wolf replied, before turning to go downstairs to the kitchen. After a few moments she returned and handed the glass to the jackal to give to the trembling wolf once he calmed down. She rubbed her son's back for a moment before leaning down to kiss the top of his head gently and leaving the room, softly shutting the door behind her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Finn asked, propping the wolf up by grasping his shoulders and holding the glass of water to his lips in an attempt to get him to drink. The wolf accepted, grabbing the glass with both paws and taking slow sips. Once the glass was finished the jackal took it out of the wolf's paws and set it down on the nightstand beside them. "No...I'm fine now. You're right it was just a bad dream...a REALLY bad one. I just want to go back to sleep and forget about it." "Ok..." The jackal said, still not sure that the wolf was telling him the truth, clearly if the dream had been bad enough to cause this kind of reaction his friend was NOT ok. He wouldn't push for now. "Finn...?" The wolf began in a soft whisper. "Can you stay up here with me tonight...?" He shuffled closer to the wall to make space for the jackal, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed until now. "Of course." Finn said, sliding the rest of the way onto the bed and under the covers. The ginger wrapped both arms around the jackal's middle and pulled him close, resting his chin on the soft white fur on the top of his head. Slowly the pair drifted off to a deep, dreamless sleep, not even realizing that Gadget had forgotten to take his glasses off.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

Ever since the nightmare incident, Gadget refused to go back to their usual spot by the lake, claiming he didn't really want to be around the water. He'd been quieter as of late too, only really talking to Finn and occasionally his parents. Ave and Camellia expressed their concerns to Finn, having not seen the wolf at school recently. The jackal had told them not to worry, and filled them in on the situation while Gadget was at the clinic. The wolf had told his parents he didn't feel well, needed to take a few days off and relax, and that the nightmare had been fever induced. They reluctantly agreed to let him take a few days off, so long as he made up his work when he returned the next week, and let his mother examine him properly to possibly diagnose his symptoms. The jackal stuck with him through it all, and eventually the wolf even explained the nightmare in vivid detail to his friend. The depression continued long into the weekend, the ginger barely spoke a word, most of the day they'd been sitting in an uncomfortable heavy silence. Finn had finally had enough of the Ginger's moping, and decided it was time to take action.

Ever since his twelfth birthday the wolf had dropped hints about wanting to tag along on one of his family's errands, and though Finn couldn't make that happen, he could take him on an adventure of their own. He'd talked to Gadget's parents privately while the wolf napped upstairs, telling them about the frightening nightmare, and the wolf's sudden change in personality. He asked their permission to take him on a vacation with his family for a few days, to get away from the stress of whatever had caused all of this. He'd asked Ave and Camellia to come along for the conversation too, they'd promised Steth and Gizmo they'd collect and work and assignments for the wolf, and tutor him back up to speed once he returned. Though they really didn't like their son missing so much of his academics, they knew he was smart and could easily catch up, and they were genuinely worried about his mental state. They'd agreed, and so Finn had thanked them, and Gadget's friends profusely, and spent the rest of the afternoon planning their little trip.

When the wolf woke, Finn was pouring over a few old maps on his floor, and shoving clothes and supplies into two backpacks that he'd stored in his closet. "Finn...what are you doing?" The groggy pup asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and retrieving his glasses from his nightstand, adjusting them on his snout until for world around him came into view. He knelt down next to the jackal and examined the maps on his floor, they seemed to be for some kind of jungle near the edge of the desert, far away from here. "We're going on a little trip." Finn smirked, looking over to the ginger whose eyes immediately snapped up to meet his own. "Vacation...? How? My parents won't let me leave the oasis for that long..." "I already took care of that, we'll be leaving with my 'family' this afternoon. Everything's packed and ready to go." Golden eyes followed the red lines made with marker trailing across the map charting the course of their adventure, then over to the two overly packed bags sitting by his bedroom door.

"Finn, why are you doing all of this?" After a few moments of contemplative silence, the jackal replied. "You asked me if I could take you with me on a trip, so we're going on a trip. I thought you'd be happy." Finn grew concerned, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. The wolf seemed like he didn't seem too fond of the idea. "No! No! I am happy it's just...so sudden." He made eye contact with his partner once again, looking for answers, and was met with a concerned gaze. "I'm worried about you Gadg..." Finn put his paws on Gadget's shoulders before continuing. "You haven't been yourself lately." Red ears flattened, and the wolfs gaze fell downward, felling terrible for making his friends and family worry about him so much. A clawed finger grasped his chin and forced the ginger to look into heterochromatic eyes once again. "Hey, I promise this is goanna be good for both of us. We're goanna have the time of our lives." A shadow of the familiar bright smile appeared on the ginger's face. "Ok Finn, I trust you."

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

A few hours later Gadget and his three best friends, along with Gadget's parents gathered on the border of the desert, preparing to say their goodbyes. The wolf's parents knelt down to the same height as their son, Steth hugging her son and Gizmo wrapping his around the both of them. "Please son, enjoy your time with Finn's family, but be careful. The desert is dangerous, and if you don't take care of yourself you could get seriously hurt. Do you have all your survival equipment?" Gadget nodded, motioning to his backpack by tilting his head in its direction. "I've got everything mom, I promise I'll be fine." Gizmo was the first to leave the embrace, standing back up to full height. "I'm so proud, my son is becoming a man! Going out into the world and exploring! Make good use of your inventions kiddo, they will come in handy out there in the desert." The wolf nodded with a happy expression, glad his parents were so supportive of him taking this trip with his partner. "And make sure you keep hydrated, the sun will-" "Mom, I'll be fine." The pup interrupted with a slight tinge of annoying laced in his voice. "Ok dear, we will see you in a few weeks. Have fun." She kissed his forehead, before getting up and joining her husband to head back home.

Once the ginger's parents departed, Ave said his farewell with a fist bump, and Camellia with a bone breaking bear hug. "You guys better come back safe." She sniffled, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she mourned the loss of their company for the next few weeks. "Geez Cam, you act like we're never going to see them again." The osprey grumbled, not liking all the mushy goodbyes and just wanting to be done with it already. Of course, he too was worried about the pair's safety traveling through the desert, but he'd never mention it aloud. They were tough, perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, so really nobody had anything to worry about. "Alright, you ready?" Finn asked the wolf, taking the ginger's larger paw in his own and heading off in the direction of the rendezvous for their ride across the desert. They were definitely not going to walk the whole time again.

A few miles into the desert and the wolf was already exhausted, he'd forgotten how hot it gets in the middle of the day out here, and was panting heavily while trying to shield his face with the back of his paw from the glaring sun. Suddenly, the ground started to shake violently beneath their feet. Sand slid down the dunes around them, and a massive hole opened up in the ground before them revealing a very large figure. A large desert worm loomed overhead, pointing its face in their general direction. Gadget couldn't tell if it had noticed them due to its lack of eyes, but the way its head followed their movements told him it probably did. "Finn...what do we do?" The wolf whispered in a scared tone, the only response he got was a loud laugh from his companion.

"Gadg, you don't have to whisper, he's friendly. This is our ride." Now that he looked closer, the wolf noticed a hooded figure riding atop the large beast, directing it with a large set of reins attached to its gaping maw. The worm lowered its head, allowing the man riding on top of it to jump down and offer his hand out to shake Finn's who nodded his head in acknowledgement. The man didn't speak, simply gestured for them to climb on board and get ready for the long ride ahead of them. The three mobians made their way up to the worm's head, Finn sitting in front of Gadget on the second saddle strapped just behind the driver's own, placing their luggage into the saddle bag hanging over the side. Once everyone was comfortable, they set off towards the jungle in the heat of the midday sun. Little did they know, a sharp pair of eyes observed the pair from a nearby cliffside, waiting for his opportunity to strike.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The ride across the desert had been a fairly uneventful one, after the initial shock of getting to ride on a giant sand worm. Gadget had insisted on clinging to the jackal for dear life for the first half hour of the ride, barely able to keep his balance and stop himself from falling as the worm moved quickly from side to side. Eventually though, he did get used to the swaying motions and loosened his grip on his companion, though the jackal really didn't mind. The wolf asked Finn about how he knew this hooded figure, curious as to how anyone would even think to use a sand worm as a means of transportation. They were notoriously aggressive, and he couldn't imagine what type of person it took to tame and train one. Apparently, this strange man was a family friend of the Jackal Squad, and often gave them rides across the desert when they needed to travel long distances. Finn had only met him one other time, on his first trip with his family, but he was always willing to assist a member of his family and thus happily accepted his request for a ride.

The man was mute, didn't ever speak a word to either of them audibly, but instead spoke through hand gestures and the odd hand sign or two. He'd point out landmarks in the desert sometimes, the rocky pit they'd spent the day at, the dens, and some mountains that lead off to the ocean were but a few of what the large expanse of sand held. A long portion of the trip was just a patch of dunes and caves, the land was completely barren of both life and structure aside from the odd cactus or two. They spent most of the trip simply enjoying the company of one another, not really needing to talk much, just the contact they shared on the back of the worm was enough for both of them to be content. Once they'd arrived at their destination near the edge of the desert, the sand faded and dry yellow grass and flat patches of dirt took its place, and eventually lead into lush green vegetation and small trees littered in various clusters. The canopy of the forest came into view from afar, and as they made their way over the hill that separated the final stretch of desert from forest the trunks of the tall trees came into view. They reached up into the sky for miles, tangled vines and branches stretched across the tops of them to form what almost looked like a maze in the sky, and they wondered at sheer amount plant life everywhere they looked. Even in the oasis, Gadget had never seen such large trees before, and he was in awe at their beauty. Having arrived this far, their journey with the mystery man came to an end. The worm could not make its way through the winding jungle path, and so they said their goodbyes and parted ways to start their trek.

Walking through the forest floor was a bit difficult, Finn had his face buried in his map, and the poor wolf kept tripping over the huge roots and vines that were littered everywhere he stepped. He was starting to grow annoyed at the slow pace they were moving too, they probably weren't going to make it very far before nightfall going this slow. Gadget had been practicing with his grappling hook quite a bit recently when Finn wasn't around, and so he'd become quite proficient at using it to get around when he wasn't up for walking. Before the jackal could continue any further the wolf wrapped his arm around the other canine and held on tight, pointing his wrist in the direction they were headed and launching his hook. Finn let out a startled yell as they were propelled off the ground in a quick, jerky movement, tensing and preparing for a nasty crash like last time he'd seen his friend use this contraption. However, he realized after a few minutes that Gadget actually knew what he was doing, and before long they were both laughing lightheartedly as Finn shouted directions and the wolf swung across the treetops towards their final destination.

Nightfall came a few hours, and they were about halfway to the spot that the jackal had marked on the map before they departed. The pair had made themselves comfortable in roots of a large tree that had been hollowed out underneath, resting on the thick fluffy moss that had grown in thick clumps all over their temporary shelter. Finn's head rested on the wolf's chest, his arm flung over the other canine's middle while the wolf used the other arm as a pillow. Fireflies lit up the surrounding area in a dull yellow glow, and the moon cast a soft white light down between the leaves of the canopy. Together, they dozed off to the sounds of the jungle around them.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The next day they elected to use Finn's hoverboard instead, the jackal claiming that while the grappling hook was fun, he really didn't want to end up slamming into one of the giant snakes that called this place home and end up getting eaten. The wolf agreed, and they set off for the last few hours of their trip before they arrived at the "X" marked on their map. The journey through the forest had definitely taken a bit longer then Finn had expected, though it would have been a whole lot easier if he didn't have to take the long way around. Usually he'd cut a path right through the village that rested in the jungle, and maybe even rest there for a while. However, having been the victims of his family's most recent raid, he doubted the villagers would welcome him into their home. He couldn't risk Gadget finding out about his family just yet, and so he took the path that went around the village and to the back of the ruins that he had picked to visit for their trip.

The large circular spires poked out of the tree as they finally approached their desired location, and the trees slowly cleared into a large path lined with brick walls that had intricate drawings delicately carved into them. Vines creeped along the cracks and crevices of the walls, and glowing green moss lit up the inside of the slightly darker archway that make way to a wall of water directly in front of them. With a splash they shot straight through the liquid, which gave way to a breathtaking view. There was a valley that was surrounded by a large glimmering lake, which flowed downward to form various waterfalls. Down below winding, hollow tree roots that looked like they had all been carved into the shape of the slides, twisting and turning around one another. The waterfalls fell from the surrounding body of water onto the slide shaped paths to form naturally occurring waterslides, which eventually curved downward into a shallower pool of water, covered in lily pads, smaller shrubs and trees, and patches of fairly large flat rocks forming small islands. At the very end of the canyon the pools shallowed and the path leading to entrance of the ruins stood like a castle among the trees. Large statues of snakes curled around four huge pillars, two on either side, that held billowing flames which lit the entire area. Two large doors stood tall in the archway in the center of it all, carved in it was the visage of another snake, its head adorned with bright painted feathers and gemstones.

"Wow." The wolf gasped, almost too shocked for words, he wouldn't have believed a place like this actually existed if he hadn't been looking at it with his own eyes. "Welcome to paradise." The jackal said, directing his hoverboard towards the large doors to bring them in for a landing. The two hopped off the contraption and observed the entrance to the temple, noticing that behind the pillars two smaller entrances to the left and the right could be seen, these held small simple rooms that didn't have much in them aside from broken pottery and overgrowth. Finn cleared away some of the clutter and set the bags they'd packed down with a sigh of relief, balancing on the hoverboard for so long while carrying them had been quite strenuous. The wolf followed close behind, his eyes were occupied scanning the glyphs carved on pretty much every surface available. "This place is really something Finn, how did you know it was here?" The jackal turned to his companion, happy that he finally seemed to be back to his normal self. "We didn't come here, but on our way back from our trip I saw the spires of the temple and wanted to check it out. I'm glad I actually remembered where it was." He replied, walking back out of the room and outside to make his way down to the water.

He wanted nothing more than to relax and float carelessly in the nice cool liquid to cool himself off, the forest may not have been as hot as the desert but it made up for it in humidity. Removing his boots and gloves, he waded out into the shallow-waist deep pools before him, pushing lily pads and leaves aside as he moved forward. The wolf followed, but hesitated as he remembered the crystal-clear water of the oasis tinging black and swallowing him whole in his nightmare. The jackal noticed this hesitation and gave the wolf a sympathetic look, holding his paw out for his friend to take. "Don't worry Gadg, it's just water. Nothing is going to happen." Hesitantly, the wolf took the offered paw, and together they swam off to relax for the rest of the day.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

"Ready?" Finn asked, grasping Gadget's hand as they stood on the very top of the tallest slide in the valley. The wolf had woken up the jackal this morning in a very pleasant mood, spending all day relaxing in the water yesterday had completely erased his stress and he was ready for the fun part of their little hideaway. "Ready!" The wolf said with a grin, leading the charge and jumping over the edge and onto the slide below. They landed with Gadget in front, and Finn grasping his shoulders behind him, his legs on either side of the wolf so they wouldn't end up bumping into each other. They leaned into every turn, water splashing in every direction and drenching both of the laughing canines as they descended. The slide they had chosen ended, and they followed the flow of water down a hollow tube that went almost straight down, the momentum of the fall sending the pair in a spiraling loop around the log as it quickly curved were shot out the top and onto another slide that was shaped like a corkscrew, both of them were starting to get dizzy at this point as the quick turns threw them from side to side. The last bit of the ride opened up into a funnel shape that sent them both spinning out of control, losing their grip on one another and going in opposite directions as they both swirled around towards the middle and out through the bottom.

They landed with a loud splash in the shallow pools down below, the wolf surfaced first and took a deep breath of air before bursting out in laughter. The jackal surfaced next, wading over to a shallower section of water and propping himself up on a nearby rock. "THAT WAS AMAZING!" The wolf cheered, throwing his hands up into the air before wading over to his own rock to take a breather. "That was just the first one." The jackal said with a smirk, turning to the ginger and raising his eyebrows. "Round two?" He questioned, the wolf had a determined look on his face before shouting. "Race you to the top!" Both boys dove back into the water and paddled furiously to the ramp leading up to the next slide. They spent much of the day testing out all the various paths and slides they could try, and by the end of it the sun was setting and they were both completely exhausted.

Together they headed back to their campsite near the entrance to the ruins, having gathered dinner the previous night. They cooked the meat they had hunted, and ate the berries that Gadget had pointed out on their way back which were sticky and sweet. The full moon had finally peaked over the ruins, and the wolf stared at the beautiful silver sphere with wide eyes. "Hey Finn, do jackals like to howl?" He asked, it seemed like a stupid question, but he'd never really met anyone who shared his secret pass time except for his parents. "Umm...I guess so, my pack practices our signal calls often enough." The jackal replied, chomping down on a particularly juicy cut of meat and tearing it with his sharp fangs. "C'mon, the moon is pretty tonight, howl with me." The wolf suddenly asked, wrapping his arm around his partner's shoulders and giving him a hopeful look.

Finn gave him a questioning glance, it was an odd request, but if it made the wolf happy he'd give it a shot. Before he'd finished chewing the food in his mouth the wolf threw his head back and let out a beautiful sound. His howl was quite low pitched, and it almost sounded like he was singing and the jackal closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of the wolf's voice. When the noise stopped, he'd opened them again and looked over to see the wolf gazing at him expectantly. Oh, right. "Here goes nothing." The jackal mumbled, mimicking the wolf's earlier movement and tilting his head back, lowering his ears and letting out a similar sound to the ginger's own howl. His was quite a few octaves higher though, which made the wolf chuckle a bit. The jackal blushed and stopped howling, looking away in embarrassment. "I told you I wouldn't be very good at it..." He grumbled, before the wolf cut him off. "No, no! I like it, it's just not what I expected it to sound like." He said, pulling the jackal closer and grinning at him. He threw his head back once again, Finn following shortly afterwards, and together the pair sung under the light of the full moon.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The duo spent over a week exploring and discovering new sections of the ruins in the surrounding forest, Gadget had never seemed happier and Finn shared in his friend's good mood. The day finally came for them to say goodbye to their little jungle hideaway, they packed in comfortable silence and prepared to depart back to the desert to meet Finn's family friend, who had graciously agreed to pick them up in ten days' time. They made their way through the jungle much quicker this time, electing not to walk and use Finn's hoverboard for most of the trip. They only stopped twice, once for a quick rest stop since Gadget had decided to drink so much water before they left the valley, and once to gather some food for the return trip. They'd even found the nest of the giant snakes Finn had mentioned on their way there, they looked on quietly so as not to disturb or anger the large beasts. This jungle was truly amazing, and both boys hoped they'd get another chance to explore it again once Finn returned from his long trip with his father.

The mystery man greeted them with a small wave as they approached the edge of the jungle, he had been feeding the worm when they arrived. The man offered some of the strange food to the canines, signing out that the worm might like them a bit more if they gave it some food. Gadget accepted the food, though terrified he held out a shaking paw to the waiting mouth of the hungry beast, who happily accepted it with a snap of its large jaws. With a full belly the worm allowed them to climb on it's back and begin the trek home. They took the same route back this time, the cloaked man pointing out a few more landmarks like the burrows of the sand worm's natural home, a few of which slithered alongside them like they'd recognized the worm they were currently riding on. When they reached the barren part of the desert, the boys prepared to take a bit of a nap, seeing as how there was nothing interesting to look at for a few hours. However, as they closed their eyes and began to doze the pair lurched forward as the beast stopped dead in its tracks. Not being able to see over the worm's head, they decided to climb out of their saddle and up to the driver's seat to see why they had stopped so suddenly. What they saw off in the distance shocked them both. That pyramid had definitely not been there a week ago.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ A/N:** So I realized a few hours ago that I had accidentally cut off about half of this chapter when I originally posted it. I fixed up a few bits and this is the final version. Hope you all enjoy! This will be the last Gadget-centric chapter for awhile so I wanted to make it pretty long. Next up will be Finn's transformation into the leader of the Jackal Squad! **/**


	9. Discord

**With his plans constantly foiled by the protector of South Island, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik has been rapidly expanding his reach throughout Mobius. Reports of missing animals and mobians have risen by the hundreds as the mad Doctor builds his** **empire.**  
 _"I knew it...nothing but foolishness. This will not stand, I must stop this boy from bringing our family to ruin..."_

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The boys stared on in shock as the structure before them loomed overhead, this was not at all what they had expected to find on their way back home to the oasis. Their chauffer, after some convincing, had commanded his worm to go in for a closer look. It's giant form currently lay flat against the sand in an attempt to hide behind a particularly high dune of sand. The pyramid was miles high, and covered in small round mechanical workers, moving to stack the bricks making up the building as fast as they could. Two large golem-like robots stood on either side of the pyramid, keeping watch for anyone unfortunate enough to travel this far out into the desert. The boys had conflicting opinions on their next course of action, Gadget proposed that they move on as quickly and quietly as they could. Finn argued that they should investigate this new monstrosity, he was furious that whoever was responsible for this THING was trespassing on jackal territory. The pair bickered as the hooded man in the upper saddle kept watch, making sure the golems didn't spot them from their posts. "There is nothing we can do about it Finn! We should go back and get help, not charge in head first and get ourselves killed!"

The jackal groaned, sometimes he swore talking to the stubborn wolf was like talking to a brick wall. "What if they go further Gadget, to the den, to the OASIS? They could be a serious danger to both of our families, we should at least see who or what these things are." Another sigh, the jackal had a point. His mind wandered to the news stories he'd seen about Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman as he now dubbed himself, and his recent escapades which were getting dangerously close to their home as of late. These robots looked similar to the doctor's designs, and the wolf didn't doubt that this was his handy work. "Alright, we'll sneak in and take a look. NO FIGHTING, just in and out so we can see what's going on." The wolf finally conceded, Finn raised his fist in triumph. The two climbed up to the driver's saddle, informing him of their decision. He agrees to wait for them there, preparing for a quick escape should things go south, and gives Gadget a spare cloak to wear to hide his bright fur from the watchful gaze of the golems. Finn had elected to leave his hoverboard behind, as it made far too much noise. He did however make sure to have a weapon on his person, a sword that his father had purchased for him at the black market as a birthday present. Its hilt was wrapped in strips of dark leather dyed black, and its blade was curved and sharp, and appeared to be a similar color. Gadget had grabbed his grappling wire, along with his laptop, a few spare wires, and a drive to store spare data, in case they found a computer with information they could use.

Together the canines crept in the shadows to the base of the large structure, feeling around for an entrance of some sort. Eventually, they found one in a small side door that some of the workers had entered. They waited until they saw the same few robots exiting the door before making their move. The jackal jammed his sword into the automatic doors as they closed, the obstruction causing them to bounce back open. The boys made their way inside, seeing no more automatons to worry about they quickly progressed through the corridors. The inside of the pyramid was dark, only illuminated by sparsely placed torches resting in their sconces throughout the long hallways. The walls were made completely of sandstone, there no sign of technology anywhere aside from the occasional noise of robots clanking around, and a few electronic entrances and exits to different corridors. Eventually, the rocky walls gave way to a metal structure, and the entire archway became a mess of tangled wires and iron beams. A wide open room, with a massive computer near the center lay before them. It hung suspended in the maze of electronics scattered throughout the room, humming loudly as it processed information to send to the workers outside building the pyramid.

Gadget quickly retrieves his grappling hook and offers his paw to Finn, who scans the room for any signs of a threat before taking the offered paw. They ascend to the main computer terminal to get a better view, and land softly and quietly on the railing above. The computer was hooked up to three large screens, two smaller ones to both sides and a larger resting in the middle slightly behind the others. Walls of code scrolled down both of the smaller monitors, while a map with various snapshots of a familiar face was displayed on the largest of the three. "Sonic...?" The wolf whispers, looking over to the jackal with a worried expression. "Why would there be so many pictures of Sonic here?" He questioned, trying to wrap his mind around all of this. "Perhaps whoever built this place has a bone to pick with him." The jackal replied, glancing over the monitors before turning his attention to the surrounding machinery with an odd glimmer in his eye. "Hey, no messing with anything. I'm going to see if I can get any data out of this thing and then we're leaving. Gadget warned, before pulling his laptop out of his bag and beginning his work. "Yeah, yeah. I know, in and out." Finn continued to scan their surroundings, watching for any sign of enemies nearby.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

"This thing doesn't have much security...not even a password." The ginger commented, his paws flying across the keyboard to his device as he hooked it into the larger machine. He had managed to get quite a bit of date from the large computer, but something still bothered him. Why would the doctor be so far out into the desert, there was nothing of interest out here for him. Animals and mobians alike were sparse, aside from the jackals and the citizens of the oasis there was nothing for him to experiment on. He needed to voice his fears to Finn, warn him about who he suspected was behind all this, maybe they could figure this out together. "Finn, I think I know who's behind this...you remember that crazy old doctor I was telling you about." The jackal nodded, pulling his gaze away from the valuable technology surrounding them to respond to the wolf. "Yes, the fat man, Dr. Robotnik right?" "Right, I think he may be-"

Suddenly the room lit up bright red, the light was enough to blind the canines and force them to shield their eyes behind their paws. "Shit." The jackal cursed under his breath, grabbing the wolf who clutched his laptop for dear life and leaping down to the floor below, ready to make a break for it. Sirens sounded behind them as the two sprinted back through the hallway they came from, dodging through smaller pathways as the metallic workers passed by attempting to find the intruders. "I told you this was a bad idea!" The wolf whispered as they weaved through the last hallway and back out the door they had come. They hugged the shadows provided by the wall all the way out into open space, they were home free! A large pillar slammed down in front of them, and if it hadn't been for Gadget digging his heels into the ground as he was yanked forward by Finn, they would have been crushed. When they looked up, that pillar was definitely NOT a pillar, but rather one of the golems that had spotted them sneaking away.

Finn snarled as the golem poised to attack again, shielding Gadget with one arm while brandishing his blade with another. "Gadg, you need to make a run for it, get that information back to the oasis." The golem's arm came crashing down to the ground, sending a cloud of sand high into the air and making the earth beneath them quake under its weight. Finn shoved Gadget out of harm's way as he rolled in the opposite direction and back onto shaky feet. He may have shown a lot of potential, but he'd never been in a serious fight before aside from beating the snot out of Kodiak, and knocking that old man out with a rock. This was a whole new level, and he wasn't sure he would be able to handle it. Still he couldn't show weakness or fear if he wanted Gadget to leave, so he stood his ground against the giant preparing to attack. "I'm not leaving you!" The wolf yelled in protest from where he landed on the opposite side of the golem's arm, which was beginning to lift its arm for another strike. "I can handle myself Gadget, get out of here NOW!" The jackal called back before leaping onto the raising arm and sprinting upwards towards the golem's head. As the canine made his way upwards the machine flailed its bulky arms in an attempt to shake him, its upper body began to spin in rapid circles dizzying the poor jackal. He lost his footing and leapt towards its torso, jamming his blade into the metal making up the monster's body in an attempt to slow his fall and hang from the blade. After falling a few feet, the sword caught on a particularly thick chunk of the robot's metal flesh, and the jackal's descent halted with a jerk making his head snap downwards and giving him a temporary case of whiplash.

The dazed jackal barely managed to swing around the blade and yank it out before the golem's arm came smashing down into its own torso, punching a giant hole into its core. Still the beast continued its rampage, and Finn had no choice but make a break for its head once more. He attempted to establish a foothold anywhere he could, dashing from one arm to another, and back across the machine's broad shoulders. If he could just make it to the top he might be able to find some way to shut it down, but its quick, jerky movements prevented him from making any progress. A wire flew across his line of sight and embedded itself right into the center of the golem's head, and in an instant, he was soaring towards his target. Gadget had wrapped his arm around the jackal's waist and grabbed him while his grappling hook carried them upwards. "What are you doing?!" Finn screamed, not wanting his friend to be put in harm's way and terrified of what might happen to them both. "I told you, we're in this together!" The ginger yelled back, they hit their mark and the wolf released his grappling hook from its place in the metal. "You're so damn stubborn!" The jackal grumbled, the golem was in a frenzy and did everything in its power to knock the two off.

Luckily, the sockets in its arms didn't seem like they were able to reach this high up, and so it was forced to spin and flail its arms in-vein. The jackal made his way to the back of the cylindrical base of the golem's head, and noticed the wiring sticking out the back of its neck. He did the only thing he could think to do and began hacking and slashing at whatever he could get at, sending sparks flying with every cut. The great machine began to smoke, and loud pops could be heard as its arms finally fell and it slowly began to weaken. A lurching sound was all they heard before the golem began falling, Gadget had to act quick or they were going to fall right along with it. He tackled the jackal, hanging on tightly and latching his hook onto one of the beast's shoulders before jumping off the edge. The pair swung out and away from the malfunctioning giant, landing roughly on the sands below and tumbling over one another in a jumbled heap. When the cloud of dust cleared the golem lay defeated, and the boys untangled themselves panting from exhaustion.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

"That was too close." The wolf heaved, dusting himself off and cringing at the bruises that were already forming from the fall. "Yea-UGH." The jackal groaned, attempting to get up but failing as his left leg gave out under his weight. "Shit." He cursed, this definitely wasn't his day. Sharp pains shot up the canine's leg when he attempted to move it, and he fell back into the sand unable to support himself properly. "Oh no, your leg!" The wolf gasped, quickly kneeling down to examine the appendage further. There was quite a bit of blood oozing out of the new wound, it looked like a piece of metal had sliced it open clean down the side. "Don't move, here..." Gadget tore the cape he wore and dabbed away what he could to see how deep the wound truly was, and if any veins had been cut.

It wasn't quite as bad as it looked, but the jackal definitely shouldn't be moving around. He tore more pieces of fabric from the cloak and wrapped them around Finn's leg tightly to cut flow and stop his friend from losing too much blood. "Grab my shoulders, I'm goanna have to carry you." "I'll just slow you down, go back to the worm and come back for me." The jackal demanded, pushing the ginger back in the direction that had come from. "How many times do I have to say it! IM. NOT. LEAV-" Another loud crash sounded behind them. The wolf looked on in horror, and the jackal turned with a similar expression as the second golem appeared before them. There was no way they'd be able to take this thing on with Finn injured like this, the panicked wolf grabbed for his friend in an attempt to make a run for it. A shower of sparks suddenly shot from the second golem's head, it's body smoking and slowing just as the first did when Finn had short-circuited it by cutting its wires. A dark figure stood atop the golem, and rode the dying machine as it fell in a broken heap to the ground. As it crashed down into the sand the figure leapt forward, landing a few feet away and gracefully rolling back onto nimble feet. Without the bright sun obscuring their vision the boys could clearly see the mobian before them, his dark brown fur and off-white markings looking strikingly similar to the rest of Finn's pack.

"I didn't think I'd find you so far from home, boy." He started, slowly walking towards the trembling pups with a calculating glare marring his face. "U-uncle Cane...? What are you doing out here?" Finn questioned, his voice laced with relief now that someone more capable of fighting these things had arrived to help them. The elder jackal scoffed, his blade shined bright as the sun reflected off it as he drew ever closer. "I am here to confirm something..." His steps made no noise as he approached, only a few feet away now. "My brother has named you his successor...I wanted to be sure he was making the right choice. That you were strong enough to handle such a...difficult...role." The wolf didn't like the vibe this jackal was giving off, he almost seemed aggressive in his stance, having not sheathed his blade since he took down the golem. "Having witnessed everything these past few months, I believe I have discovered my answer." Finn's ears flattened against his head, confused as to where his uncle was going with all this. Had he been following them this whole time, and what did he mean by 'his answer'? "You are WEAK Finn. You grow attachments to those who will eventually betray you, you rely on the acknowledgement of others, and most importantly you lack the skills necessary to lead the pack." His steps halted as he stood before the boys, raising his blade at the ginger and furrowing his brows in anger. "Let me teach you the way of this world, and purge the source of this weakness..."The elder jackal growled in a low menacing voice before raising his sword to strike.

The blade came down, but instead of meeting the flesh of the wolf it was met with equally sharp steel. Finn had rose up onto his leg, ignoring the shooting pain and the warm feeling of blood running down the injured appendage to the sand below his shoes. A dark look overtook Cane's face as he struggled to push his blade down further and cut the terrified wolf. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I won't let you hurt my friend." Finn said with a low growl laced with a warning. If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me first. The young jackal stumbled as pressure of the larger blade was removed, and the air beside his head sung with the sound of ringing steel. He quickly swung his sword to the side to parry the swipe of his uncle's sword, and struck back with a swing of his own sending the elder jackal reeling back a few steps to dodge out of the way. "Does a weakling like you really expect to take on someone like me?" Cane questioned, poising his blade to block another attack should the younger choose to lash out again. "I don't expect to win." Finn mumbled, looking back to Gadget for just a moment with a pleading expression for him to _please_ just run, get away.

The wolf took the hint, more comfortable leaving Finn with an angry family member than a homicidal robot. He wouldn't actually kill Finn, would he? The wolf got to his feet, prepared to sprint to the safety of the sand worm waiting for them nearby. "You're not going anywhere!" Cane barked, quickly breaking out into a sprint and dodging to the side of Finn's swipe as he attempted to deter the elder from proceeding. When that failed the younger jackal ran after him immediately, throwing his entire body weight into tackling the larger canine to the ground, knocking his blade from his hand and giving Gadget enough time to escape. "ENOUGH!" The brunette yelled, with a quick thrust of his elbow into Finn's solar plexus, sending the young pup on his side and knocking the wind out of him. Finn coughed and gasped, holding his middle in pain as Cane lifted himself off the ground and turned to his nephew. "If you insist on clinging to this weakness, then you are not worthy of succeeding your father. I will end your miserable existence here, boy." The elder jackal retrieved his blade from where it had fallen and pointed his blade right at Finn's neck. The young jackal was powerless to escape, his muscles screaming in protest at any move he tried to make. The only thing he saw was the blade descending on him before a burning pain sliced across his bad eye, and the ring of steel on steel sounded above him. Everything went black as the jackal finally gave in to his exhaustion.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

The wolf's heart felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest, his lungs begged him to stop his stride towards safety and rest. Still he pressed on, determined to get help for Finn and return for the injured jackal, surely their family friend could work this out. The worm came into view and the wolf threw his arms up in a plea for the man to come to his aid. "HELP PLEASE! FINN-HE'S H-" The man had met the ginger halfway after seeing him pass over the hill, and promptly shoved a finger in front of his face to silence him. Having finally stopped running, Gadget's exhaustion caught up to him and he collapsed onto the ground huffing and attempting to catch his breath. The cloaked figure reached for his belt, and unclipped a satchel of water which he held out to the downed pup. Gadget took the offering and choked down as much as his tired lungs would allow, releasing the satchel and coughing violently as he'd drank a bit too fast. "F-Fin, he's in trouble! You have to help him!" The panic in the canine's voice made the elder man worry about their young companion, he patted the ginger on the head lightly before offering his paw to help the poor wolf to his feet. Together they climbed back onto the worm, waking the beast from its nap and commanding it to head in the direction of the pyramid.

When they arrived, Gadget stood in the saddle, trying to get a good look at the fate of his friend and see if that psychopath was still around. He was, but so was another elder jackal standing between Finn, who was currently collapsed on the ground, and his crazed uncle. The worm halted, lowering its head to let off its passengers. The cloaked man patted its head and commanded it to survey the area and watch for danger, it obeyed coiling itself up and raising its head to get a better view. The elder jackal shielding Finn barely acknowledged the new arrivals on the scene aside from a slight twitch of his ears in their general direction, as he stood teeth bared and sword at the ready facing down Cane. The other jackal mirrored his position, an irritated glare pointed not at the newcomer, but rather the unconscious pup behind him. "He is WEAK brother, he will lead our pack to ruin!" He pleaded with his sibling, inching to the side in an attempt to skirt around him and get at the youth to land the killing blow.

Every move Cane made, the newcomer made a move of his own, making sure to stay directly between Finn and his brother. Finally, having seen enough the cloaked man drew his own dagger, quite small but still clearly enough to unnerve Cane who now stared down two enemies that had no intent on letting him complete his mission. "Stand down Cane, this is a fight you cannot win." The other jackal finally spoke with a stern, sharp, and very commanding tone. As if the words burned him Cane flinched, his ears flattening against his head further and tail swishing violently behind him. After a few more moments of tense silence he finally conceded, sheathing his blade and easing back into a normal stance. "Please reconsider brother, for our family." One last attempt to plead his case, the other adult finally snapped and snarled in rage. "This boy is my family...and YOU have made the mistake of crossing me by making an attempt on his life!" As quick as lightning he was on his brother, pinning him to the ground and choking him with an elbow slamming down on his windpipe. The younger jackal struggled under his larger brother, attempting to remove the obstruction to his breathing, making panicked choking noises as he thrashed and clawed to free himself.

Eventually the pressure let up ever so slightly, and the elder leaned down to whisper menacingly into Cane's ear. "I never want to see your face again. If you ever come near my son I will hunt you down and END you." With that, he slowly lifted his weight off of his shocked younger brother, glaring as said brother rose to his feet. Cane turned to leave in his defeat, but offered the elder jackal one final word of warning, his tone laced with contempt and hatred. "This is not over Phelix. The Jackal Squad will fall with that disgrace at the helm. I will be waiting, and when he fails I will return, and lead our family to greatness." With those final words the jackal walked away, turning his back on his family and his pack until the right time came. He would return, and take what was his. Phelix turned to the cloaked man, finally acknowledging his as well as the ginger wolf's presence on the scene. "Neme, what are you doing all the way out here with my son and this...outsider?" The jackal asked, his voice indicating a clear warning that there had better be a good explanation for this mess.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

While the adults were occupied with their conversation, Gadget rushed over to Finn's still form lying on the ground to see if he was alright. The blood from his leg wound soaked into the sand in a dark crimson puddle, and where his small scar had once been on his right eye now appeared as a jagged slash from his chin to his forehead. The sight of the wounds sent a shock wave of sympathetic pain though the wolf's limbs, like he could almost feel the torn flesh on his own body. With trembling paws, he elevated Finn's body and took out his first aid kit from the bag he had somehow managed to carry this entire time. He gently cleaned the leg wound first, though it was difficult now that the blood had begun to dry and stick to dark fur in thick clumps. He sighed as he finally finished cleaning the wound which still lightly bled, he'd need to do this quick but he was not looking forward to it. He pulled out a small, thin needle and suture threat, along with various other medical tools needed to make a simple interrupted stitch. The wolf lifted the injured limb elevating it on his knee and placing the remaining bit of his un-torn cloak underneath to provide a somewhat sanitary work space.

As the wolf prepared to make the first stitch, a low groan made his hand fall short, and as he turned his head he was met with his friend's dazed stare. "Gad...get?" "Shh, don't move Finn. I need to stitch this wound, you're losing too much blood." The wolf said in a calming tone, looking up to the cloaked man, who had finished his silent conversation with the elder jackal. The pleading stare was all the stranger needed to see, he made his way over to the pair and Knelt behind the dazed jackal pup. The jackal didn't really understand what was going on, but his shoulders tensed as the man gripped them tightly and Gadget took a firm hold on his leg before beginning the stitch once more. A sharp intake of breath, followed by a low growl was heard as the first knot was made, and the jackal clenched his teeth as he watched the ginger work. Every poke of the needle made him flinch, but the firm grip the cloaked figure had on his shoulders stopped him from jerking around too much.

Once the stitch was complete the trembling jackal was released, and his leg placed gently back on the ground from where it had rested on Gadget's knee. "Now let's see about that eye..." The wolf said, quickly working to clean and bandage the wound like he had years ago after their second encounter. Phelix simply watched as his son was stitched and bandaged, silently proud that not a single tear fell despite the heavy damage he'd received. "That should be ok until we can get home, my mom can-" "That's quite enough little wolf, my son will be fine." Phelix turned to the cloaked man with a stern expression on his face. "Neme, take this child home. I need to speak to my son." "But-" Gadget protested, tightening his grip on the jackal pup currently resting against him. "NOW." Phelix's piercing golden eyes broke the ginger's resolve instantly, it was clear that his word was law and there was no room for debate. He released Finn slowly, making sure he was able to support his own weight before finally letting go and getting up off the ground. "Bye Finn." The wolf said quietly while he departed, staring at his friend who was frozen on the ground by his father's disappointed glare. "Bye..." The jackal whispered as they separated, his face marred with grief as the wolf's receding form disappeared from view.

As soon as Gadget and Neme were out of sight, and the sound of the worm slithering away faded into the distance, Phelix turned towards his son."I am very disappointed in you Finn." He began, kneeling down to be eye level with the injured pup, his eyes furrowed and lips turned downwards into a frown. "I-" The pup opened his mouth to defend himself, but was immediately cut off by his father's slightly raised voice. "You deliberately disobeyed me! I warned you not to get attached to that child, and now look what happened. You nearly got yourself killed!" Finn's ears lowered and his eyes broke contact with his fathers, he wasn't ashamed being with Gadget but the way his father worded it made him feel like a fool."I expected you to spend this time training before our departure, but instead you spent it galivanting around with an OUTSIDER. This childish behavior ends today, we leave as soon as your leg heals." "But-" "That is final Finn." The silence stretched on for a few minutes, Finn weighed his options in his head as Phelix started intently at him. The pup finally nodded in agreement, submitting to his father's will and preparing himself for the long journey ahead. He was lifted onto the elder jackal's back, and together they made the long trek back to the den so Finn could rest under the care of his siblings and prepare for what was to come.

═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━ **/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /** ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═

 **/ A/N:** So I did a bit of research as far as the timeline of sonic games, and how old our little blue hero is in each game. I found a video summing it up pretty well, and so I will use this as a 'canonical' reference of Finn's (Infinite's) and Gadget's age vs. Sonics own. Basically, Sonic's listed age in games has always been 15, however sonic does obviously age in-between games as showcased in Generations and Forces. Amy in Sonic CD's Japanese manual was listed as 8 years old, and her current listed age is 12, making the time difference 4 years between CD and Generations. This would make Sonic in CD (and probably all the way back to the original Megadrive game) 11 years old, seeing how he had just turned 15 to 16 in Generations. In this story they are one year younger than Sonic, the current chapter is set as Sonic Adventure 2 happens, and the pyramid referenced is the pyramid where Eggman's rocket is launched for them to travel to Space Colony Ark (hence why I placed the oasis and the jackal's den so close to Wild Canyon). The first chapter was set during the year of the original Megadrive game, Sonic is 11 years old at the time, making them 10. Two years pass, and Finn and Gadget are now 12, and Sonic 13. They will both be 15 in the events of Sonic Forces. Let me make one thing very clear, I DO NOT view Gadget as the avatar character that you play in Forces at all, I view him as a completely separate character somewhere else in the resistance. Reason being, Infinite reference multiple times that he views the avatar character as a 'child', thereby making the Avatar younger than him. I also don't think that Infinite would act the way he does towards Gadget if he actually saw him in Forces, for example when you encounter him in Metropolis he calls you a child, and seems to vaguely recognize you from his rampage in the city. Hopefully this made some sense, as I've tried to tie this story together with the (very convoluted) Sonic timeline, and make Gadget a more believable character with a connection to Infinite's past the best I could. As always, thanks so much for reading! ^ w ^ **/**


	10. Intrusion

**The inhabitants of Sunset Heights have banded together to create a organization that works to help refugees from the recent attacks by Dr. Ivo Robotnik. As of late the Doctor's attacks on various regions of Mobius have become more frequent and malicious, leaving many mobians without homes.**

 _"What do you mean I'm PREGNANT? I can't have that weak fool's child!" "Please Noir, calm down. He is your mate, and this child will be your heir and eventually lead this pack, how could you say such a thing?" "Any child of his will only, only the strong survive here."_

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

He was almost there, he could see the path leading off to the Oasis. Just a few more steps and he was off to see Gadget, he was so close...until something caught on the tips of his toes. The world tilted forward as he tripped over his brother's foot, falling face first into the sand below. The sound of his brothers wicked cakling behind him rung in his ears as Jay reveled in his elder brother's suffering. That was it...the LAST straw had been plucked and Finn's nerves were shot. With an angry bark he lifted himself from his sprawled position on the ground, lunging at the shorter jackal and tackling him to the ground. The pair landed in a cloud of dust, shouting at one another as hair was pulled, fingers were bitten, and punches thrown in every direction.

"KNOCK IT OFF YOU FUCKING BRATS." A feminine voice hollered from the dens a few feet away where she HAD been resting, before these idiots made all this racket. She rubbed her tired eyes as she made her way over to the spot where her brothers had frozen in place, terrified of the consequences of waking their big sister up from her beauty sleep. Finn was laying on his back, his injured leg awkwardly bent to the side to keep it out of harm's way, he was pulling Jay's cheeks back to reveal his teeth with both thumbs trying to get his face away from where he'd tried to bite his elder brother on the shoulder. Jay had his knee jammed into Finn's stomach, having pinned the elder to the ground and yanked his head up by a lock of his long mane, which still hung from his clenched fist. The comically wide expressions almost made the she-jackal laugh. Almost, but not quite. "Finn I swear to Chaos, if you try to get away again, you won't need to worry about your leg wound, because I will rip your FUCKING legs off." She snarled, grabbing Jay by the scruff and tossing him backwards off their brother. The youngest jackal watched with delight as his elder sister picked up their brother, slung him over her shoulder, and carried him off towards his hammock.

Jay and Pierce had mercilessly tortured their incapacitated brother after his leg was injured, having been tasked with making sure he didn't take off to see his little wolf friend again as soon as he was able to hobble about the den. She was tempted to tie him in the flimsy cloth his bed was made out of for the night, but she refrained, not wanting to injure him and risk babysitting longer. A soft sigh escaped Finn's lips of, resting comfortably on his hammock after being dragged back unwillingly by Tempest. Finn lay staring up at the starry sky from his perch, thinking about the events that transpired weeks prior. His leg was almost fully healed, thanks to the diligent efforts of his siblings, and the watchful gaze of his father to avoid anymore...incidents. He had successfully prevented the pup from sneaking away to see his friend while he recovered, despite the many times he'd attempted to escape his father's baleful gaze. His leg was still sore, but thanks to Gadget stitching the would no major damage was done, he was even able to hobble around a few days after the robot's attack.

His leg dangled helplessly off the hammock, it still hurt a bit to lift it, and Tempest hadn't had the decency to help him up after ungracefully dropping him back in his bed. A twinge of pain shot up the limb as he attempted to lift it and get comfortable for the night, suddenly it felt too heavy for him to lift, and his muscles gave in making it fall back down to rest on the sandy ground. Groaning in pain at the jarring motion, he sat up, gripping the bandaged appendage to stop the ebbing pain coursing through it. After a few moments to calm down, sucking in quick, sharp breaths to try and deal with the sting, he slowly eased back to try to settle in his hammock once again. Before he could fully lay down, his ears twitched as a foreign sound was picked up by his sensitive hearing. The gentle shifting of sands as an untrained, and poorly concealed stranger made his way through their den, well THIS was going to be interesting.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

He was honestly quite shocked any desert dweller would dare to not only intrude upon their territory, but enter their DEN no less. He sighed, irritated that he was going to have to irritate his leg to deal with this foolish intruder, lifting himself from his slouched position and grabbing his blade before heading in the direction he'd heard the noise. Careful not to make a noise as he approached, he raised his blade, ready to strike the shadowy figure that loomed just outside of their hoarde of loot.

His pale fur gleamed in the moonlight, silver eyes glowing brightly as he eyed the treasures resting just out of his reach. With a low snarl Finn quickly leapt towards the stranger, giving him no time to face his attacker as the jackal pinned him to the ground and held the blade dangerously close to his jugular, pinning his other arm behind his back and sitting on him to hold him in place. Finn leaned down and whispered into his captive's ear menacingly, tightening his grip on the pale jackal's pinned arm to reaffirm that HE was the one in charge. "Give me one good reason not to cut your throat and be done with you so I can go back to bed." The larger canine shivered in terror beneath him, doing his best not to move as the blade pressed slightly further against his throat, drawing out a small bead of blood to run over the angry jackal's fingers and drip down to the ground.

"H-Heh...you cocky bastard, what makes you think you have me beat?" The pale jackal grumbled, spitting his words with venom, though his voice did a very good job masking his fear, Finn could practically smell it. "My blade to your throat MUTT...now answer my question." Finn replied angrily, yanking the jackal upwards and moving his blade along with his arm to keep it at his enemies' throat. "I don't have to tell you a damn thing BRAT." The restrained canine strained, finding it hard to speak when every time his throat moved to form sound the sharp tip of the dark blade Finn held cut a little deeper into his flesh. The pale stranger looked over into the shadows expectantly, his brother had hid behind the rocks there when he'd heard someone approaching, this foolish pup wouldn't know what hit him. His eyes widened in fear as another jackal emerged with his brother's scruff firmly grasped in her paw, shoving him forward into the moonlight while still keeping a bruising grip on his fur with her clawed paws.

"Did you really think we wouldn't notice you?" Tempest asked, tone clearly irritated from being woken up so late in the night. Finn smirked at the jackal currently struggling in his grasp, whom had angled his head back slightly to see the face of his attacker. "You two really should have thought this through better..." Finn taunted, starting to apply more pressure with his blade while Tempest prepared to finish off the other from his slouched position in front of her. "STOP." A deep commanding voice called from behind them, causing both the younger jackals to halt their movements and jump in surprise, just slightly. Phelix jumped down from one of the higher rocks, the dark shadows having concealed his presence while he watched the whole scene play out. Finn had known that the other pale canine was looming nearby, but he'd also known that Tempest was headed in their direction too. It had been a good call, he was proud of his son despite recent events.

Still, something bothered the elder jackal. "What is your business here? Surely you wouldn't be foolish enough to come here just to steal a few trinkets?" The two blondes exchanged glances, knowing exactly who was standing in front of them. Despite their blatant disrespect for Jackal Squad property and territory, and their clear dislike for the two pups restraining them, this mobian deserved to be treated with respect. He was Phelix, leader of the Jackal Squad, and late husband of Dahlia. Before her untimely death, the two ruled the desert with an iron claw, nobody so much as set a paw on these sands without the couple giving them express permission. After her death Phelix's hold on the territory became quite lax, but his squad still kept the desert dwellers in line and let them know the jackals of his pack were king here, their word was law, and their law was absolute. "S-sir...we're just here on orders." The blonde tempest was currently holding spoke up, clearly being the more intelligent of the two. "Our...boss sent us to scout the area."

Phelix tilted his head slightly in confusion, before his lips slowly curled and he made his way over to the group of pups. His long fangs shone brightly in the dim light the moon provided, gleaming as he snarled in the direction of the youngster. "I see...well you tell your BOSS, if I ever see you or any of your other rag-tag group anywhere near MY den, or in MY territory EVER again, I will personally CRUSH the lot of you. Do I make myself clear?" He was right in the older pale jackal's face now, the snarl that emanated from every exaugurated word could send a giant sand wurm slithering away in terror. His glare was fiery, and his paw rested in warning on his intricately carved blade where it sat in its sheath. "Understood...sir." The elder spoke for both of them, nodding in shame for having to submit to an enemy so easily. "I will escort you two away from the den. Tempest, get Finn back to resting." He commanded, grabbing the canine Tempest had a grip on, and reaching down to grab the other by the scruff as well, allowing Finn to slowly ease himself back into a standing position.

He wobbled, but Tempest was by his side to drape his arm around her shoulder before he could blink. Phelix took the two small canines by their scruffs and walked them off towards the edge of the dens, while Tempest half carried Finn back to his hammock. He was quite puzzled at why on earth the other jackals would even consider pulling a stunt like this, Tempest saw the confusion on his face and felt the need to fill her brother in on the happenings of late while he'd been incapacitated. "We're not sure who's leading them, but those aren't the only mutts that have been sniffing around our territory lately. Me and Lance have sent quite a few of them packing with their tails between their legs that had been snooping around the area. Some of them are even camping out in the Oasis where your little wolf friend lives." This worried Finn, while these particular jackals hadn't been all that dangerous, he was severely worried about Gadget getting into trouble when he had no power to help him, or even go to see him and make sure he was ok. Still, he was sure his family had this under control, fights for territory were a very serious affair to the jackal squad, and his father was probably up in arms sending every squad he could to make sure the little mongrels knew their place.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

They were both exhausted from a long day, so Tempest just decided she'd share her brother's bed for the night. She threw herself onto the hammock with a sigh of relief at finally being able to go back to sleep, taking Finn with her. He grunted in mild discomfort, before attempting to get his leg on the hammock once more, wincing in pain. He finally mustered the strength to push through the ebbing discomfort and pull his leg the rest of the way up, adjusting them both so that he and Tempest could fit comfortably on the rickety bedding together. The she-jackal had her arm flung haphazardly over Finn's midsection, her head resting on the tuft of fur on his chest comfortably. Her usual ponytail was down today, as was Finn's, so their disheveled hair scattered in every direction. Finn lie, shoved mostly to the left side of the hammock, using one arm as a makeshift pillow behind his head, while he let the other rest on his sister's back to keep her from tipping them both over in the night.

Jackals always had a tendency to fall asleep in groups, sharing each other's warmth to shield from the cold desert night, but Tempest was rarely ever a part of it, so it was strange to Finn that she had been sticking so close to him recently. He had thought she'd long since fallen asleep, having heard nothing but slow, even breathing from his older sibling, but then he heard a shaky sigh as she lifted her head to look at him tiredly "Do me a favor Finny, don't try to escape tonight. My sleep has been interrupted enough don't you think?" He simply nodded in agreement, her head falling back down to its resting spot on his chest as she almost immediately lost consciousness from the sheer exhaustion of taking care of him, dealing with the squad and their father, and keeping an eye on the group slowly encroaching on their territory as of late.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

The next day found Lance, Pierce, and a few of their cousins leaving the den in the early hours of the morning to scout the perimeter of their den. After last night's intruders Phelix had put the entire pack on high alert. Nobody, jackal or otherwise, gets in our out without his say so. Whispers of the event passed through their den like wildfire, all of the pack members that were present wondered what was going on, something like this had never happened before. For years their leader had kept a strict watch over the entirety of the desert, even after they had loosened their grip on the territory, NOTHING made its way into their home of all places. The elder jackal simply brushed it off as an isolated incident, leaving the lackeys to gossip amongst themselves while he had the elites of the Jackal Squad making sure it truly wasn't something to be concerned about. He made his way calmly through their encampment, nodding in acknowledgement to those that he passed with his shoulders squared, head held high, and arms neatly folded behind his back.

The air around him commanded respect as he passed, which all of the jackals gladly gave him, folding their ears back and avoiding eye contact in submission as he strolled by. Finally, he had made his way across the campus to his own children's living quarters, finding Finn and Tempest still fast asleep in the younger jackal's rickety hammock. Finn had managed to balance on the small corner of the hammock his sister had pushed him to, and she had managed to completely sprawl out with a limb going in every direction. She was practically crushing her smaller brother, laying face first in his chest fur, while he simply let his two right limbs hang limply off the side of the hammock. His right arm was wrapped around his sister's back and his right leg was propped upwards, bent at the knee and angled away to avoid the injury there getting bumped in the night. Despite his hardened demeanor he couldn't help but smile at his children...Dahlia would have loved this. Seeing them all get along, making their way up in the world. Finn's leg was almost completely healed now, in another week he would be able to travel and they would begin his training.

"They do look just like their beautiful mother..." A soft voice came from behind the older jackal, he turned to see his brother's mate making her way towards him from the same path he'd taken. "Ah, yes...they do. Good morning Ember, I didn't realize you were up so early, the sun hasn't even begun to rise." She nodded back to him, showing no fear or submission as she made clear eye contact with him, and held herself high. The only reason he tolerated such behavior is her relation to his brother, though he may be banished she still held a position of power among the squad, and her children were some of the most talented fighters they had. "Alas, I couldn't keep my eyes closed any longer. My fear consumes me, after hearing that my beloved niece and nephew could have been taken from us in the night."

A confused look painted the alpha's face, he didn't know what to make of that. Surely, she didn't think that a pair of mangy albinos could ever hope to lay a scratch on one of his pups? "What do you mean taken from us? Those foolish pups were simply here on a scouting errand from what I gathered of the situation." Her hooded eyes gazed upwards at him, flicking her tail quickly to her right side as she took it in her paws and began to pet it with a contemplative look on her face. "You didn't ever consider that my mate may be plotting his revenge against you and your heir?" Phelix's brow furrowed, looking back to his children resting quietly in the hammock a few feet away. Worry surged through his mind, he didn't know what he would do if he lost them too. "I didn't think about it like that..."

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

His dream was a pleasant one, Gadget walked calmly beside him towards his den, their hands intertwined and hanging loosely between them. He was happy to see the wolf, even if this was obviously a dream. It was fairly easy to tell because the sky was pitch black, blacker than the sky ever got naturally. As they made their way past the entrance to his home he noticed it was oddly empty, in places where there were always members of his pack nobody was around. Shadows loomed over the area in dark splotches, it was so dark he could barely see mere feet in front of him. Still Gadget continued onwards, not seeming to notice the odd scenery as they passed the main meeting area to his own little corner of the dens. When they rounded the corner he could see his siblings in the distance, wearing the same oddly calm expression.

He started to become anxious the closer he got to Tempest in the others, though he couldn't quite place why. They stopped walking, having reached their destination, and his packmates greeted him with warm smiles. "Hey bro, what's up?" Lance greeted with a grin. He smiled back at them, put at ease that they seemed to be acting normal. "Me and Gadget were just taking a walk." Their faces quickly turned to confusion as they looked at one another. "Um...Finn, who's Gadget?" The question caught him off guard, he was literally standing next to the jackal, their hands were still linked. He let go of the wolf's paw to gesture to him with both hands. "My boyfriend? The one you've all met multiple times?" He said in a sarcastic tone, not wanting to play into their little joke. "HAH! Who'd wanna day your grumpy butt?" Jay joked, walking next to his elder brother and lightly punching him in the arm. He began to get irritated, were they seriously going to pretend that Gadget wasn't standing right next to him. "GADGET would, he's right here!" He said, reaching out to wrap his arm around the wolf's shoulder.

When his paw was met with empty space he turned to see Gadget looking at him with the same blank expression he'd been wearing as they walked, and his hand on the other side of the wolf. A cold sensation snaked his way up the part of his arm that should have made contact with the ginger, it sent shivers down his spine. "Finn, we've never heard of any 'Gadget', who are you talking about?" Pierce said with a concerned look on his face, gently placing his paw on Finn's shoulder. "Are you feeling ok? You look kind of pale..." Tempest said in the same worried tone, walking up next to Lance to place her hand on his forehead and feel his temperature. He smacked their hands away and backed up a few steps, giving them all incredulous looks. "Ok that's enough, quit fooling around you jerks." He growled, ears folding down and frowning. He walked forward again, intending to touch Gadget again, he reached his arms out to place them on the ginger's shoulders.

Again, he felt nothing, but this time he saw the wolf literally phase out and his paws go straight though his transparent form. His body became blurred, static surrounded him and a ripple effect distorted him from the jackal's view momentarily. "Gadget...?" He called out, his partner returned to normal after a moment, and again the jackal tried to grasp at him, desperately reaching for physical contact. Nothing but empty space greeted him-and this time he didn't faze back into view. The worried faces of his siblings were the last thing he saw before the dimly lit world around him faded to black.

Suddenly, he couldn't feel anything underneath his feet - he was falling, and falling fast. His plummeted down, further and further into nothingness for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he saw something below, though he knew he should be concerned at what might happen when he landed all he wanted was for this sinking feeling of free falling to be over. His felt a spray of cold liquid hit his face as his feet finally hit what felt like some sort of slimy black water. It was like landing on a block of cement, and could feel the agonizing pain of the bones in his legs shattering as they buckled and bent from the sheer force of his landing. He broke the surface and sunk to the depths below, instinctively taking a breath before his muzzle was completely submerged. The pain in his legs was excruciating when he tried to kick them to breach the surface again. He was trapped, unable to kick and barely able to paddle with his arms when the freezing temperature of the liquid was beginning to make his body go numb.

He could feel his chest burning from the lack of oxygen, he released what little he held in his lungs causing bright red bubbles to rise upwards. A weightless feeling overtook him as the blackness pulled him down, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate, letting the cold blackness consume his consciousness. A current stirred the waters around him, and he opened his eyes to see what could possibly reside in a place like this. He was met with two large magenta orbs staring back at him. It was hard to make out in the darkness, but a shadowy eldritch figure appeared before his eyes. Its silvery countenance gleamed in the darkness, reflecting the color of its eyes as it stared at the jackal. He could make out its long serpentine body stretching out behind it. As he stared into its large eyes he heard one phrase echo in his head over, and over, and over again. "̴B̶e̴w̵a̴r̴e̴ ̵c̴r̶i̸m̶s̷o̷n̴ ̷t̵i̸d̵e̴s̷.̶"̸

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

He felt the scream catch in his throat as he shot up from where he was laying underneath his sister, nearly knocking her off the hammock entirely, but managing to catch her before she fell. Tempest yelped as she was thrown from her comfortable resting place on Finn's soft chest fur, and prepared to yell at her brother for disturbing her sleep AGAIN, but the sheer panic in his eyes stopped her before she could scold him. He was shaking violently, palms sweating as tears pricked the sides of his eyes. "Finn? What's wrong." She asked quietly, worry evident in the tone of her voice. He gave no reply as he raised his hands to scrub the tears that had begun to fall. He hadn't heard her question at all, he was still in shock at just how REAL the dream had felt. "Finn." She repeated, placing a hand on his shoulder and realizing just how much her usually calm brother was trembling. "Finny calm down, everything's ok." She cooed, pulling him into her arms and rubbing his back in small circles, something their mother used to do for her when she had night terrors. He wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace, and buried his face in the fur on her neck as he sobbed quietly.

For a few minutes the two jackals sat, Tempest rocking back and forth, lost as to what else she could do to comfort her brother. She wasn't used to this sort of thing. Phelix and Umber had seen the whole thing, alerted to the situation when they saw Finn suddenly jump and heard Tempests startled yelp. The only other time they'd ever seen the young jackal this upset is when he had first come home with a bloody eye and wounded pride. Before Phelix could join the pair and see what was wrong, they heard the sound of quickened steps approaching. The scouting team had returned. Pierce lead the group, followed by Lance, Jay and their cousins, and though to most he would appear to wear the same bored expression as always, Phelix could see the concern in his eyes. He stopped in front of the elder jackals, Jay and Lance remained with him but the others scattered about the campus, going about their daily business now that their task was finished.

"Father, a word." He said, eyeing Umber carefully as he spoke, clearly not comfortable sharing the information he found while he was out while she way around. Jay gave her a similar look, positioning himself between his father and the female and placing his paw on the hilt of his weapon. She simply nodded to Phelix "I see you boys need some time to yourselves, I'll be on my way. Do think about what I said sir, you should be more careful." The pair of younger jackals glared at her receding form as she walked away, before finally being comfortable enough to speak to their father after she was out of earshot. "What did you find?" He asked in a clipped tone, having ad quite enough of WHATEVER was going on, he wanted to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Two silver coated jackals stumbled their way back into the small outcropping of rocks that lay just on the border of the desert at the surrounding ocean just a few miles away. Their bright fur glistened in contrast to the darker sands of the desert as the sun rose in the sky, making them easy to spot from a distance. Their comrades welcomed them back with yips and barks, running up to greet them and help them the rest of the way. They were covered in scratches and bruises, and their ears were folded back in shame and defeat. While he had not severely injured them, Phelix hadn't let them off the hook easy, giving them a through beating once his children had left the scene last night. Their packmates helped them to a place where they could rest and recuperate, and once they were ready be taken to report back to their new alpha.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

/ AN: I am SO sorry this took so long, I recently joined several discord servers and i've spent a lot of time doing more artwork for the fandom and spending time with these amazing people. They have not only contributed this story, but my other works, and I truly feel as though i've made a lot of wonderful friends this past month. Enjoy the chapter, I hope you all enjoy. Hopefully now that i've got this chunk out of the way (which I actually had quite a hard time writing) I will be able to move on to an easier section to write. ;33 /


	11. Departure

**Recently, the threat of Dr. Robotnik wielding a weapon of mass destruction have been reported throughout all of Mobius. While frightened mobians would usually turn to their little blue hero in their time of need, a recent string of crimes has landed the hedgehog in a high security lockdown on Prison Island. G.U.N Had been working frantically to identify the threat and neutralize it before the doctor's scheme is put into action.**

 _"My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind to release me, my master...I will grant you one wish."_

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

"What have you found?" the elder jackal asked in a low, calm tone. His hooded eyes staring down at the pups at his feet, bowing in respect him and averting their eyes from his piercing gaze. He towered over the two silver-furs, his shadow covering both of their cowering forms as he rose to his full height and crossed his arms, waiting for their reply. "Y-your nephew is nearly recovered s-sir...He was able to-" "He put up a good fight." The other silver jackal interrupted, they didn't need to tell him that they'd been thoroughly humiliated, best to leave out that little detail. "His other siblings, and his father have been keeping close tabs on him. We were unable to get close to him alone."

The larger male considers them for a moment, turning to his two companions standing a few feet behind him. The two jackals were also smaller than him, but only by a few inches, being only a few years his juniors. The taller of the two had snow-white fur and greyish markings, his long mane hung loosely from a messy ponytail, and his eyes were a bright crimson. The other's fur was jet black, with stripes only a few shades lighter than her base coat. Her mane was cut short and it curled around to frame her face, wavy bangs partially obscuring one of her golden eyes. The taller albino jackal made a few hand gestures towards the female beside him, and she nodded in agreement. "You should send us sir, we are much more...reliable." The she-jackal said with a sneer, curling her lips in disgust at the two weak pups cowering in their shadows.

Cane snorts, nodding in agreement before turning back to the two young jackals, and giving them a dismissing gesture. "Go and rest young ones - worry not - my brother will pay for his transgressions." The tall jackal knelt down, gently brushing the bloodied mane out of the face of one of the young silver-furs, and tilting his head to make eye contact. "The injuries you've suffered will be returned tenfold." He released the terrified pup, making him stumble away from the elder in fear. "Now go." He barked, and with frightened yips the two pups scrambled to their feet, quick to get away before they angered their leader, or god forbid his female companion.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Noir was known for having a quick temper, lashing out at anyone foolish enough to get on her bad side, leaving permanent wounds on many of her packmates. Though nobody really knows when or how, she'd even caused her mate to become mute. One day the male had returned with her, covered in blood pouring from a wound slashed across his throat. Noir simply stormed off without him; leaving him to helplessly limp the rest of the way to the den and seek out help before he bled out. From that day on he hadn't spoken, instead he'd struggled to learn sign language from an unexpected friend, the sand wurm trainer Neme. He'd helped Blank to recover from this critical injury, not only teaching him a different way to communicate, but also ferrying him to the Oasis to get regular checkups by the medics there.

The white furred male made a few more gestures, this time towards his alpha, who had turned to face them again. "Would you like us to head out sir?" He signed, Noir translated for him, having reluctantly learned the language to be able to communicate with her mate. "Yes, but don't make any moves. I can't risk losing any men before we are prepared, simply observe for now." The dark jackal closed her eyes, crossing her arms and huffing in annoyance. If she had it her way that little snot and the rest of his siblings would be dead already. She may not be strong enough to face off against their father, but one day she longed to sink her teeth into his brats. She still had a score to settle with his pretty little daughter.

Tempest was the primary reason for the dark female's nasty temperament, having mercilessly harassed her after Noir had a little falling out with her elder brother. The dark jackal had been a bit promiscuous when she'd been a part of the jackal squad, attracting many suitors, including Phelix's son. Noir had in fact pursued a relationship with him, given that he was quite a promising mate who might very well be the next leader of their pack. However, she gave in to her darker nature and ended up being unfaithful, angering his sister in the process. As punishment for toying with the heart of her elder brother she'd given Noir a nasty scar that spanned from the top of her shoulder down to her hip in an attempt on her life.

After the incident tension grew amongst the squad, petty squabbles broke out and the packs began to separate into factions once again. The squad was made up of four separate packs at the time, the grey and red furred jackals had been joined by the union of the current alphas, Phelix and Dahlia. The leaders had then sought to unite the remaining two packs of the desert with their own, to solidify their iron grip on the territory. They were outraged by the ungrateful and aggressive advances the silver and ebony packs had started, having taken them into their home, sharing their food and resources. Noir's entire family, along with the silver furs had been alienated from the group, being constantly harassed by the relatives of the main families, until they were finally banished from the squad entirely. Only a few select members of the banished parties who showed true loyalty to their alphas were allowed to remain in the pack, the rest were forced out of the territory entirely to find a new home.

Lance and Tempest's roles in the separation of their squad were not overlooked, and once Phelix's next pup was born and announced to be a male, the pack decided it would be best that the succession overlook the two in favor of his newest son. The two took their punishment gracefully, giving no complaint when their father announced that their new brother Finnian would eventually succeed him in leading the squad. Noir had watched all of these happenings hidden in the shadows, one of the specialties of her family, before finally deciding it was time to move on and go with the remainder of her pack to eke out a new living on the outskirts of their old home. They'd taken up residence in this piteous little mound of dirt and attempted to make a life for themselves, but resources were scarce and they had to struggle to survive. Eventually, once she'd become of age her father, who was the new alpha of the pack of ebony jackals, had forced her to join with the sad little son of the silver fur's leaders, Blank. She loathed him and fought the union with every ounce of her being, but to no avail. The hardships of her life had turned her into a cold and bitter mobian, and she directed her fury at those around her, mainly her pathetic mate whom she despised unconditionally.

However, recent events saw the alphas of their pack dead, and a new leader on the scene. After his banishment, Phelix's bitter brother had come and enforced a very hostile takeover, brutally murdering all four leaders and commanding his authority over the rag-tag group of jackals. He preached vengeance on those who had forced them into such a hard and unforgiving life and rallied all that would follow him to one day reclaim the desert for their own. Those who refused were quickly eliminated. Noir, and a very reluctant Blank were at the spearhead of this extermination, and were the second in command of Cane, Noir reveling in her opportunity at revenge for her misery. After a few hours of preparation, the duo began their journey to the heart of the desert - to the den of the jackal squad - preparing themselves for a long mission in the name of their vengeance.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

He hadn't said more than a few words since he'd woken up from his nightmare a few days ago. After waking up, he'd scared his siblings and father so thoroughly with his reaction that they hadn't really known what to do. Lance and Phelix had avoided the topic entirely, comforting others was not their forte, so they just left the others to handle it. Jay tried to downplay it, telling him it was just a stupid nightmare and there was no way some dream was going to get the best of his big brother. Finn's only response was silence, and so Jay looked to his other brother for assistance. Pierce had given him a knowing look, having suffered from many sleepless nights himself, he simply given his big brother a pat on the shoulder and taken Jay with him so their elder brother could have some peace and quiet to sort out his thoughts. Tempest had done her best to console him, they'd spent a few hours rocking in the hammock while Finn desperately clutched his elder sister as he tried to stop the trembling racking his body. Once he'd finally calmed down she'd demanded on multiple occasions that he tell her why he was so upset, but when he tried the words caught in his throat. After a few hours of her pestering him he'd simply muttered "I'm fine." before taking off with no resistance from the others, going in the opposite direction of the Oasis so they didn't try to stop him from seeing Gadget.

He wasn't sure he could handle talking to the wolf right now, even if he wanted to. Finn swung his leg from the branch he was currently perched on, resting in the sparse shade of the dilapidated tree he'd claimed as his hiding spot. He rubbed his tired eyes, he wanted to rest but he was terrified his mind would conjure up something worse as soon as he closed his eyes. He turned over a smooth stone in the palm of his ungloved paw, its dark matte surface dimly reflecting the afternoon sun as he blankly stared at it, lost in his thoughts. That dream had shaken him to his core, he could still feel the chill of the inky black depths, and the phantom pains of the shattered bones in his legs despite it never actually happening. Though the pain was awful, what shook him more than anything else was the idea of Gadget not existing in his dreamscape, he could only imagine where he would be if not for him and the ginger meeting. An image of his uncle flashed in his mind, reminding him that Gadget's involvement with him had put him in danger, that there was a very dangerous mobian that wanted them both dead. Perhaps it would have been best if they'd never met after all, maybe that's what his subconscious was trying to tell him.

What was more, he couldn't get the image of that THING out of his head, and the words it spoke echoed through his mind every time he thought about it. "Beware crimson tides..." he muttered to himself, like his repetition of the phrase would help him understand it's meaning. "What the HELL is that supposed to mean?!" He shouted, hurling the stone into the grimy surface of the stream running below the tree. It made a pitiful splash as it hit the surface of the muddy water, quickly sinking to the bottom of the shallow stream and disappearing from view. He squeezed his eyes shut, claws digging into his own skin as he clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in frustration. Sitting around moping was getting him nowhere. He looked down at his paws, releasing his tight grip to stare down at his fur, he was filthy. Perhaps a quick rinse in the stream would help take his mind off of things. He hopped down, landing gracefully on both feet as he dropped down from the low hanging branch. He groaned as his muscles protested, his leg may be mostly healed, but it was still sore.

He unwound the bandages covering the wound on the limb, noting that his fur had even started to grow back around the damaged area. Next, he removed the wrappings from his eye, a twinge of pain made his face heat up as he brushed against the sensitive scar tissue from the previous injury there. He assumed since it was in almost exactly the same place as his last scar, it would take extra time to completely heal. He removed his boots and calmly walked towards the small stream, staring into the water to see a distorted image of his face. He frowned, even though the water warped the image, he could still see the rather large laceration across his face. It overlapped his old scar, spanning from his cheek bone, over his eyelid, and up over his brow near the middle of his forehead. It was a nasty sight, and it felt just as bad as it looked. He sighed in defeat, he supposed nothing could make it any worse than it already was. He waded into the shallow water, it barely made it up to his waist, but it was enough to bathe in. He avoided brushing the wound on his face again as he dipped his hair backwards into the stream. He quickly rinsed off the grime and dirt from his fur, spending extra time on his hair to untangle all the debris that had gotten caught in it from spending several nights in the desert brush.

Something brushed against his leg, making him jump and quickly snap his vision to the water below to see a Killifish innocently circling around his paws. Suddenly he felt ice cold shivers shoot up his spine, the black liquid of his dream flashed before his eyes, followed by the silver visage of the monster, and the sound of its voice echoing in his ears all over again. "BEWARE..." He panicked, splashing violently as he rushed to remove himself from the stream, his heart racing as he waded to the bank and out of the water. His legs refused to support him, and he was forced to climb out on all fours, tremors racking his body once again. He clutched his head; his ears began to ring as the echoes got louder. "BEWARE. BEWARE. BEWARE THE CRIMSON TIDES." He curled in on himself, his forehead resting against his knees at he tightened the grip on his head in an attempt to get the voice out of his head. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice shaking from the terror gripping his mind. "Please...just be quiet." He pleaded with the voice, tears welling up in his eyes as he snarled in frustration. Silence. Like nothing had ever happened. He opened his eyes, uncurling from his position on the ground and looking around.

Everything was normal. A chuckle escaped his throat, his lips twisting into a wicked smile as he began to laugh. "I must be going crazy...from one little nightmare - how pathetic." Still smiling, he wiped the tears from his face and closed his eyes. Come to think of it, all of this had started when Gadget had a similar dream. He vaguely remembered the wolf describing the same slimy black water in his dream, and the same bone chilling cold that emitted from it. His eyes furrowed, trying to concentrate on any other details the wolf had told him before their trip. He remembered Gadget describing the nightmare version of him, long mane glowing red, with long claws, crimson eyes, a gaping hole in his chest. He shuttered at the thought, glad that in his dream he hadn't seen some twisted version of the ginger. After resting for a few more moments of resting, his legs finally allowed him to stand. He'd decided that he needed to see the wolf, to tell him about the dream he'd had, perhaps talking about it with someone who'd had a similar experience would help put his mind at ease. He quickly dressed himself, realizing that he didn't have any new bandages to cover his face and sighing in irritation. Instead, he put his mane up in a messy ponytail, leaving enough free to cover most of that side of his face.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Finn strode confidently back into the den of the Jackal Squad, his head held high as he made his way across their home. Whispers from the other jackals, who hadn't seen him at all since his run in with Cane made his ears twitch. From what he was hearing rumors had spread quickly about what might have happened to him, most of them were far from the truth. He ignored the curious glances from his cousins as he continued onwards, finally making it back to his quarters. He gathered his blade and his hoverboard, also changing into a clean pair of clothes before preparing to head out before anyone could stop him. As he turned to leave he ran face first into his elder brother, who had snuck up without a sound right behind him. The impact barely affected the larger jackal at all but running into a hardhead like his brother was enough to daze Finn. "Where do you think you're going runt?" Lance asked, crossing his arms as the disoriented Finn backed up and shook his head. Once the dizziness subsided, the smaller jackal glared at his elder sibling. "I'm going to see Gadget, you can't stop me." Lance laughed, smiling down at Finn and reaching out to ruffle his mane, which was still damp from his bath. "Heh, I know that. I wasn't planning on it, you're too fast for me to chase you anyways." Surprised, Finn continued to glare at his brother, expecting this to be some sort of joke. "What's the catch?" He asked in a clipped tone, mirroring his brother and crossing his arms over his chest. "Dad wants to talk to you first." His ears drooped, noticing that at some point his other siblings had arrived as well, standing behind Lance and crushing any hopes of him escaping before getting a lecture from their father. He sighed, uncrossing his arms and walking past Lance with slumped shoulders and a frown on his face. "Fine, let's get this over with..." The young jackal grumbled, as he walked beside Jay and Tempest, who had both wrapped their arms around his shoulders in a mock gesture of comfort.

It was a short walk to the center of their den, and the meeting area was oddly vacant considering it was midday, most likely his father's doing. The elder jackal sat atop the stones resting in the center, facing away from them as he stared off in the distance in the direction of the Oasis. Finn could feel dread in the pit of his stomach, and it only worsened as Lance and Pierce headed off in a different direction; Jay and Tempest almost pushing him the rest of the way to the slope leading up to where their father waited. "Son." Phelix greeted, turning his head and nodding at his other children, who finally released their brother from their grip. Finn clenched his fists, taking a step forward in an attempt to defend himself. "Father, I can explain. I just needed-" Phelix held up his hand to silence the young jackal, whose face reflected the worry evident in his tone, fearing his father's anger and disapproval. "No need Finn...I understand." Worry still evident on his face, it took the pup a moment to register what his father had said. "I- wait...what?" He stuttered, trying to process what was going on. "I understand. I was your age once, Finn. I know what it's like to hold someone dear to you, and to be separated from them." Tempest's gaze fell downwards, her ears folding back and her arms crossing as she realized just what her father was hinting at. Finn was still in a state of shock, hanging onto his father's words as he continued to speak. "From what the others have told me you and this outsider are...close. While I don't agree with relations outside of the pack, I can't stop you from feeling the way you do. It's clearly affected you, and for that, I am sorry."

During his speech, the elder had gotten up from where he sat, making his way over to his children and kneeling down to eye level with Finn. He placed his large paw on his son's shoulder, giving him an understanding look as he continued. "You have a responsibility to this family son, we must leave to train so you can take my place as leader." His father gave him a compassionate smile, squeezing his shoulder slightly to try and comfort his son, who looked utterly terrified of this stranger that had taken the place of his usually apathetic father. "However, in light of recent events, I will allow you to go to the Oasis for closure before our departure." Jay grinned behind them, happy they were going to get to see the wolf before they left, he'd taken a liking to the awkward little runt. Tempest smiled too, glad to see her father trying his best to do what was right for her brother. He'd struggled on this decision the entire time Finn had been away and had even come to his daughter for advice on the matter; which had led to all of Finn's siblings filling the elder jackal in on Finn and Gadget's relationship. "I want you to be happy son. You may not see him for a very long time, but when we return you may peruse whatever relationship you two have. I will not stop you." A genuine smile crept onto the young jackal's face, truly happy his father was slowly starting to accept him and Gadget being together.

"We will be leaving in a few hours, all of you pack whatever you deem necessary to take with you, this trip will be a long one." Finn's brows furrowed in confusion once more, all of us? "Wait, they are coming too?" He asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to offend his siblings. "Yes, a good alpha needs strong lieutenants, these two will be your second in command. As such, they will be joining us to train together with you, to strengthen your bonds to one another. Something my father never gave me and my brother." Tempest and Jay joined the two, placing their paws on Finn's shoulders once again. "You're stuck with us!" Jay laughed, Tempest simply grinning down at her little brothers. Finn returned the smile, happy he wouldn't be facing what was to come alone. He looked back to his father, one more question still bothering him. "What about Pierce and Lance?" Phelix frowned, giving his children a troubled look. "If I could take them as well I would, but right now I cannot leave the pack unguarded. They will be staying behind to lead the squad in our absence, under the guidance of Umber." The fact that his father was entrusting the squad to his aunt was unsettling, though she'd proven her loyalty by staying after her mate's banishment, Finn still did not trust her. Once a jackal found a mate, they were together for life, he found it hard to believe that she'd abandon hers so easily. Still he trusted his leader's judgement and decided not to question his decision. "Now hurry and prepare to leave, Neme is waiting for us." The trio of siblings left to gather their things in silence, and together them and their father made their way to the rendezvous location with the sand wurm tamer to begin their journey.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Kodiak and his companions sat on the beach, summer was once again upon them and they enjoyed their time goofing off like they usually did. Despite being older, they still liked skipping stones at the edge of the lake, occasionally wrestling with one another or swimming as well. Canon, the bear's tiger companion currently had Nikon, his hawk companion pinned in a headlock. The two rolled around in the dirt, shouting obscenities at one another as they both tried to gain the upper hand. Kodiac continued to skip stones, ignoring his friend's hollers for him to join them in their tussle. He reeled his arm back, preparing to throw another stone, but before he could the ground began to shake violently, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his knees. A giant shadow obscured the sun from view, and as the trio looked up in terror they saw the giant maw of a sand wurm looming overhead. These creatures usually never ventured this close to civilization, while aggressive in nature they preferred their sandy home to the lush greenery of the oasis. Yet, despite this, the creature showed no reservations about entering the area, and its giant head lowered to ground level. As it lay its massive body down, a saddle seating a hooded mobian came into view. When the full length of its body rested on the ground another saddle was revealed, seating several other cloaked figures who quietly made their way down off the beast's back. The larger of the four separated himself from the rest, making his way away from the border back towards the rocky cliffs connecting to their town to the desert. The other three were headed straight towards the trio, and behind them the sand wurm rose to its full height before turning and heading off back into the desert from whence it came.

As the three figures removed the hoods of their cloaks Kodiac recognized one immediately, it was that freak that Gadget liked to hang around. He didn't recognize the other two from such a great distance, but they weren't the right size to be any of the jackal's usual companions. As they approached the bear was up in arms, ready to pick a fight with that little jerk for knocking his teeth in the last time they'd met at the yogurt shop. Finn finally seemed to notice the bear when they were a few feet away and sneered in contempt at the larger mobian. "Kodiac..." He greeted, his clipped tone clearly indicating that he DID NOT want to deal with him right now. "Ya' got a lot of nerve showin' yer' ugly face around me again ya' little brat." The bear growled, raising his fists in anticipation of a fight. "A friend of yours?" A feminine voice came from behind the jackal, as the other two cloaked figures approached. "Hardly. This is the asshole that threw that rock at me." The bear sneered Kodiac was stunned into silence, a beautiful jackal stood beside the little runt, her long hair tied in a messy ponytail, mussed bangs fanning over the left side of her face. Her cape was unbuttoned, left open to billow around her tall, thin frame. She wore a high collar sleeveless crop top, torn pants, and black boots with silver accents similar to what the other two jackals wore. The bear's heart skipped a beat as the female jackal made eye contact with him, his mouth hung agape, words caught on the tip of his tongue as he stuttered incoherently. "W-who's this...she's too pretty to be hanging around YOU." A laugh, the female jackal glared but didn't bother to respond to the statement, her tail twitched in irritation. "He doesn't look so tough." Jay barked, sizing up the large mobian in front of them, smirking as the bear took notice of him. "Ya' want a piece of me punk?" Kodiac grumbled, raising his large paws towards the small jackal. Jay mimicked his position, raising his fists in a mocking gesture. "Bring it on, you big lug!" He laughed, hopping around from foot to foot, before he could charge at the bear Tempest grabbed him by the scruff, halting his movement. "Don't pick fights with the local rabble Jay, he isn't worth our time." She spat, giving the large mobian a dirty look for trying to pick a fight with her little brothers.

Her words stung, the bear looked defeated only for a moment before he'd decided he'd had enough. He roared, charging at the trio, intending on ramming into Finn and pummeling the small jackal to take out his frustrations. All three jackals easily sidestepped the oncoming mobian, Jay pulling his signature trick and placing his foot directly in the bear's path, tripping him. To his credit, he didn't tumble to the ground, instead stumbling forward to catch himself. Jay cackled maliciously as he prepared to face the giant that was preparing to charge again. Tempest again halted his progress, gently pushing her brother to the side as she stepped in the way and making Kodiac hesitate in his assault. The she-jackal gracefully swiveled out of the way, rapidly turning and landing a blow to his shin with the metal tip of her boot. Hollering in pain, his legs buckled underneath him, sending him face first into the dirt. Her long tail swung behind her, irritation getting the better of her as crossed her arms across her chest. "I suggest you quit while your ahead." She huffed, turning away from the downed bear, intending to walk away to tend to their business. She stood next to Finn, placing her hands on both her brothers backs in an attempt to push them away in a hurry. "ARRRRRRGH!" A shout sounded from behind them, the bear charging once again with a bit of a limp from his injured leg. Tempest had had quite enough of this fool. In one swift motion the jackal used one hand to grab the bear's wrist, using her other to grab onto the underside of his muzzle. Placing one of her feet firmly behind him, while the other one kicked up beside her, she swung it forward as her arm pushed his upper body backwards. With crushing force her knee collided with the back of his own, sending him rocketing backwards. His head collided with the ground, legs suspended above him and arms uselessly sprawled out on either side of him.

Finally, having seemed to incapacitated the angry giant, Tempest turned to leave once again. A thought crossed her mind, usually she didn't bother adding insult to injury but he'd ticked her off. "Oh, and by the way." She started, her tone sweet as she turned and batted her eyes at the dazed bear. "Even if did enjoy the company of the opposite gender..." She knelt down, whispering in a menacing tone as she spoke. "Little cubs like you aren't worth my time." She rose up to her full height, flicking her tail and smacking the bear with it in the process as she turned to join her brothers. Jay was trying his best to contain his laughter, both hands covering his mouth and cheeks puffed in an attempt to hold his voice back. Finn smirked, enjoying watching his sister thoroughly crush Kodiak's hopes and dreams.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Phelix had made his way silently through the small town, avoiding being seen by any villagers that were wondering around the open marketplace; slinking through shadows and ducking through alleyways he made his way to the destination him and his contact had agreed upon. He felt horrible deceiving his children - using the wolf child as an excuse to visit this horrid place - but this was the only way to keep them safe. As he rounded the final corner he steeled himself, he was about to see the face of a child whom he and pack had betrayed. While it was true this child's progenitors before him had sealed their own fate, he had done nothing to deserve the life he'd been given. Bright silver fur came into view, barely concealed by the tattered dark cloak he wore, or the shadows he hid within. Red eyes pierced the darkness, staring directly at the elder jackal. "You came alone...?" Phelix started, wary of the pup standing before him, though he towered over the small albino he knew better than to underestimate him. He'd heard about what had happened in their tiny little pack after his brother took leadership over them, this child had been the spearhead of a mass genocide of his closest friends and family members. His small stature and soft face did not hide his cold and calculating demeanor as he studied the elder jackal, he was a trained killer.

He blinked for only a moment, releasing a soft sigh before looking back up to Phelix, raising his hands in a series of motions to reply in sign language. "Of course, I did...Noir went off to look for your kids, I trust you've left them in a well populated area while we speak?" His motions were quick, he was clearly irritated, but despite this he kept his unblinking eyes trained on the older jackal; clearly on gaurd himself. "Yes. They should be nearing the center of the Oasis..." The elder male nodded, hoping that this child knew his mate as well as he said he did. "Good - she won't dare attack them out in the open where people will see. She will wait to get them...and you...alone." As he finished his sentence, he lowered his arms, glancing around to make sure neither of them had been spotted. Once he was certain he moved closer to the elder, being forced to look even higher to make eye contact with him. "I will do ask you ask, Alpha. I am still loyal to you, though you cast our family out...all I ask in return is that you help those of us who managed to survive. Killing your brother is the only way for all of us to be truly safe...are you sure you can handle that?" The question was simple enough, could Phelix steel his heart and kill his younger brother? He certainly hoped so, if he couldn't, he might very well lose his entire family for his weakness. "Yes. When the time comes I will take care of him, assuming you keep your end of the deal. It won't be hard for her to get the jump on us once we depart from this place, I doubt she will have any reservations once there are no bystanders nearby to witness her assault. My children's lives are in your hands, I expect you to keep her and the rest of your packmates at bay while I train them."

He held out his large paw to shake the smaller jackal's own. Reluctantly, Blank reached out and shook on their deal, nodding silently before letting go of the large clawed paw and turning to leave. "One more thing Blank...your mate. She won't be a problem, will she?" The small silver jackal stopped dead in his tracks, standing still and facing away from the elder jackal for a few moments. He turned, a solemn look on his face, replying with his hands once again. "It is as you said...when the time comes, I will take care of her as well." Phelix could see the pain etched on his face, for some reason this boy cared deeply for the ebony female, though Phelix doubted she'd done anything to deserve his affection. He knew the pain of losing your mate, he could only imagine how much more painful it must be for the child to be prepared to take her life for the sake of the pack. He truly admired his strength of will and gave him a firm nod of his head as a sign of this admiration. "Oh, and one more thing sir, I wouldn't trust Umber if I were you..." The smaller jackal took his leave, darting off in the blink of the eye around a corner, most likely off to find his wayward ebony mate. Phelix followed suit, heading in the general direction of the center of town, careful to avoid drawing attention to himself as he made his way to his children. He was well aware of Umber's treachery, he only hoped that Lance and Pierce would be able to keep her in check while they were away.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

It had been a long walk to the schoolhouse from where they'd arrived at the edge of the Oasis, which was lucky considering Tempest's terrible mood at the moment. Though she tried her best to hide it, she had definitely gone overboard and hurt her leg while stomping Kodiak into the ground. It was barely there, but Finn saw a faint limp as she walked beside him, and a deep scowl on her face kept him from opening his mouth to say anything. During their stroll through town he was greeted by several villagers, people Gadget had introduced him to at one point or another, though he hardly remembered any of them enough to distinguish them from the other townsfolk. He politely waved back, not making a sound, before continuing on with his siblings in search for Gadget. Once the schoolyard came into view it wasn't hard to spot the wolf and his companions lounging in the shade of a rather large tree, they appeared to be having a rather heated discussion.

Finn couldn't help the spring in his step as he sped up at the sight of the wolf, leaving his two siblings behind as he walked as fast as he could towards the trio of mobians. The crunching of grass alerted them to the presence of another, and as Gadget turned to see who could possibly be lingering around the schoolyard on summer break aside from them his eyes widened in surprise. He immediately leaped up, sprinting towards the jackal who mirrored his elated expression, outstretching his arms to welcome the ginger in a long-awaited embrace. The canines held each other close, for how long neither of them could truly tell, but the contact was much needed on both sides. The separation had been torture for them both, and having one another here, holding each other close, hearing the other's heartbeat next to theirs. It was a moment of pure bliss for the young pups. A scratchy voice coughed in an awkward attempt to get his brother's attention, Jay and Tempest both looking at their brother as if he'd grown a second head. They'd only ever met the wolf a few other times, and Finn had certainly never been this affectionate before. Tempest sighed, 'Distance only makes the heart grow fonder.' She thought to herself, staring down at her brother, who reluctantly released the ginger from his grip, resting his paws on his shoulders and staring into golden eyes. "Finn! Its so good to see you, what are you doing here!?" That trademarked grin shined brightly as the wolf smiled at his partner, placing his paws atop the jackal's, which were still resting on his shoulders.

The jackals smile quickly turned to a frown, he wished he didn't have to say this, whished he didn't have to leave this wonderful person whom he cared for so deeply...but still, it was necessary. He had a bright future ahead of him, but he had to be strong, and make sacrifices for the sake of the Jackal Squad. "Gadget...I-" "GADGET!" Came the high-pitched yell of Camellia, her and Ave both finally having caught up to the wolf, who had startled the both of them when he'd gotten up and sprinted away so suddenly. "SAY SOMETHING next time! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She scolded, punching him playfully on the shoulder and looking to her avian friend for support. "Yeah man, what Lia said." He pointed in the feline's general direction, being more irritated that he'd been forced to run the whole way over to the group of strangers, rather than Gadget actually surprising him. "More...friends, Finn?" Tempest growled in a clipped tone, having hoped they would only have to see the wolf - without the interference of not only those goons from earlier - but now whoever these two were. "Yep! Were Finn's best friends, and you are?" Camellia greeted cheerfully, wrapping her elbow around the jackal's neck in a playful gesture to emphasize their friendship. He still hated his personal space being invaded and growled in irritation to let her know that the contact was NOT appreciated. "We are Finnian's siblings." She replied, being as vague as the could in an attempt to derail and attempts at conversation from the feline, but she would not be deterred. "It's very nice to meet you!" The feline was quick as lightning, making it past Finn and Gadget, and directly towards the female jackal. Before Tempest could blink her paw was scooped up and shook between the two enthusiastically. "My name is Camellia, and his is Ave! It's a pleasure to finally meet Finn's family, Gadget has told us so much about you! You must be Tempest." The sly wink the cat gave, and the way her tongue poked out from between small canine teeth for a short moment was not lost to the female jackal. She was dumbstruck as the feline gave her a playful expression, before releasing her hand and making her way over to Jay to shake his hand as well. The smaller male was much more accepting of the cat's behavior, returning the handshake with as much vigor as Camellia herself, and mirroring her playful expression. "Hey I kinda like this one, she's funny." Jay chuckled, baring his teeth in a wide grin as he did so. "You must be Jay. Though, I thought you were the younger brother, you definitely look older than Finn...strange." Finnian did not miss the blunt jab at his height, and his pride, and glared daggers at the cat, who simply giggled in response. "Sorry Finn! I didn't mean it like that." She apologized, turning to the jackal with a joyful expression.

She noticed how uncomfortable the pair seemed to be, having been interrupted in the middle of their reunion, and so she glanced in Ave's direction, giving him a knowing look. He got the hint and followed Camellia, who ushered him and the other two jackals - both of which were irritated that such a small, overly-joyful creature was able to convince them to leave their brother alone so easily -a good distance away, giving Gadget and Finn some much needed time together.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Gadget and Finn rested under the shade of the tree that the wolf and his companions had been occupying prior to the jackal's arrival. It was just like their conversation by the lake so many months ago. Finn refused to make eye contact with the ginger, and Gadget had a sinking feeling he knew exactly why. He placed his paw gently on the jackals, curling his finger's around the dark furred mobians in a reassuring gesture. "Gadget...I have to...I" He stuttered, words catching on his tongue as his gaze drifted ever further from curious golden eyes. "I know." It wasn't the answer he was dreading at all, the complete opposite in fact. Even though he had warned the wolf long ago that one day he would have to leave, he still expected yelling, denial, anger, SOMETHING. Yet he was completely understanding, supportive even of this decision to leave him behind.

Finn turned to face him, finally, blue and golden eyes meeting Gadget's own. "It's ok Finn, we both knew this was coming." Gadget said, expression solemn as he gazed into his partner's eyes. "I meant what I said, I will wait. For as long as it takes. The wolf extended his pinkie in a familiar gesture, offering a small smile to the jackal. Their fingers crossed, paws shook, the promise was made, and their fates accepted. The jackal noticed the tremors in the wolf's paws, though he may put on a strong facade he could tell how difficult this was for the ginger. He pulled Gadget into a light embrace, letting the wolf rest his head on his shoulder. He felt the moisture from his partner's tears soaking into the fur on his shoulder, the ginger reached his arm up to scrub away at the pesky liquid, not wanting to appear weak in front of the jackal. "It's ok Gadg, it's going to be ok..." The jackal cooed, reminded of the night Gadget had first woken up from that terrible nightmare. He comforted his companion, rubbing soothing circles across his back a the ginger sobbed silently into his shoulder. "I-I know...I just. It's going to be so hard...not having you here. Just a few weeks was hard enough but..." A laugh interrupted the wolf's muttering, the ginger looked up to see a somewhat distressed expression on Finn's face. He let out another chuckle, clutching his sides with his free hand, while keeping the other on Gadget's back. "Aha- I-I'm sorry it's just...look at us. We're a mess, we can't even be apart for more than a few weeks without..." More laughter followed his broken sentence, and the sound of the jackal's laugh seemed to be infectious. The wolf couldn't help but join in, finally seeing the situation for what it was. They were hopeless. The two laughed for a few moments, enjoying each other's company as they clung to each other, both secretly terrified that the other would vanish in a moment. That all of this was just another cruel dream.

He wanted to tell Gadget about the dream he'd had, after all that was the main reason he'd resolved to come back to the Oasis so soon in the first place. However, seeing that peaceful expression on his friend's face, the smile on his lips, and the glimmer of light in his eyes...he just couldn't. He decided it would be best if he kept silent about what he'd seen in his resting hours, after all it was just a dream, it couldn't do any real harm. As the sun started to set, Gadget finally lifted himself from his comfortable spot laying on Finn's chest, both of them resting against the tree in the dimming light of the sunset. "It's getting late...I should probably find my father. I'm sure he is ready to leave..." Finn said, defeat in his tone. Though he knew he had to leave, he'd give anything for just a few more moments of peace with the wolf. From the expression on Gadget's face, he could tell the Ginger felt the same way.

He felt a paw brush away the bangs covering his injured eye, only just realizing that he'd forgotten to re-treat the wound after removing the bandages earlier. "That looks pretty painful...why don't you come back to my house so I can patch it up for you? I'm sure your dad won't mind waiting a few more minutes..." Finn's expression changed to that of worry, Gadget was obviously trying to stall for more time...it would just make it harder for both of them if he stayed any longer. "Actually..." A deep voice came from a few feet away, both ups jumped in surprise, turning to see Phelix himself calmly making his way towards them from dimly lit street leading up to the schoolhouse. "That is a wonderful idea, we can't have that eye getting infected." The two dumbfounded pups simply nodded in agreement, quickly scrambling to get up and follow the elder jackal towards Finn's siblings who were across the field chatting with Gadget's friends.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

At some point Gadget's brother Gears had joined their little gathering, having come to get his brother for supper only to realize that his little boyfriend - and apparently two siblings - had paid him a visit. His brother had been griping about Finn for weeks now, so Gears was happy to finally give him some time to talk to his friend; if only so he would shut up for a few days about how much he MISSED the guy. Gears and Finn's brother, Jay, were having an interesting conversation about different methods of incapacitating foes. Tempest had resigned herself to the probing claws of Camellia, who had insisted upon brushing out her mane and putting it up in something that wouldn't get in her way during their trip. Ave had gone home for the night, spouting some excuse about how he had homework to catch up on, despite the obviously lie seeing as how it was spring break. He'd asked Camellia to say his goodbyes to their jackal friend for him and hurried off towards his home. The cat had just finished her work making a tight braid out of Tempest's ponytail when Phelix, Finn, and Gadget finally made their way back to the group. The two jackal siblings sat up straight, worry clear on their faces, not wanting to upset their father by interacting with outsiders. His face was calm, not even acknowledging the other wolf and feline present. "Come you two, we're going to make one last stop before we leave." The two looked at each other, confused at where they could possibly be going so late into the evening. "I'm gonna patch up Finn's eye for him before you go..." Gadget commented, realizing that his brother had joined the group at some point and giving him a questioning glance. The aquamarine wolf simply shrugged, and the jackal standing next to him - completely oblivious to the silent conversation the two were having - playfully slung his arm around the green wolf's shoulder, saying something about how he'd do good in a fist fight.

Camellia stood in awe at the jackal leader's powerful presence, preparing herself to introduce herself the way she had to the others. She felt a paw rest on her shoulders, Tempest gave her a dissuading look, her eyes telling her it was best not to speak to their father. Camellia took the hint, nodding in disappointment. "Thank you...I like the braid..." Tempest said, a light blush dusting her pale cheek fur, and her eyes turning away from the cat in embarrassment. The small gesture from the she-jackal was enough to brighten up the feline's smile once again. "You're welcome! Have a nice trip, Tempest. Maybe we will bump into each other again someday." The female jackal nodded silently, exchanging a small smile with the feline. Camellia said her goodbyes to the wolf and jackal siblings, heading off towards her own home. The group of canines walked silently to the wolf's house, Jay and Gears whispering to one another behind Finn and Gadget's back, while Tempest stayed by her father's side. Compared to the distance from the lake they'd arrived at to the schoolhouse, the house was just a quick walk away. It took them minutes to reach the residence at their quick pace, and they arrived just in time to meet their mother getting home from the clinic. Steth noticed the large group approaching, and a familiar young face with her two boys made her expression light up. "Oh, Finn dear! It's so good to finally see you again." She greeted, eyes scrunching up behind her thinly framed glasses in a joyful smile. Gadget and Gears greeted their mother, and Finn waved to her as well. "Hello Mrs. Wolf, good to see you again." He replied softly, though the she-wolf had gotten used to the quiet tone he used to address her and her husband, she thought it was quite charming, a sign of respect towards his elders. She took notice of the adult jackal in their company, and the other two who all bore a striking resemblance to Gadget's little friend. "OH dear! You must be Finn's father, and siblings. What a pleasure it is to meet all of you!" She bowed her head in their direction, flashing them a smile as well.

Before Phelix had gotten a chance to reply a deep voice came from the half open door of the entryway. "Honey is that you? Are the boys back yet?" Gadget's father called from inside the house. The door creaked open to reveal the large male wolf, who quickly leaned over to peck his wife on the cheek before acknowledging their guests. "Oh, hello lads...!" He looked over to Tempest as well, before correcting his statement. "And lass!" He chuckled heartily, offering his large paw out to Phelix to shake in a friendly gesture. "You must be Finny boy's father! Pleasure to meet ya'! My name is Gizmo, and this lovely lady is my wife Steth." The she-wolf gave another curt bow, before ushering the children inside so that the adults could speak privately for a moment. Phelix hesitantly extended his paw, immediately regretting his decision as the crushing grip of the joyful wolf grasped his paw and shook it enthusiastically. "Phelix- The pleasure is mine." He was actually quite surprised he was able to keep a low even tone with the larger canine still shaking his hand so violently, but he'd somehow managed.

Finally, he was released, and the male wolf grinned warmly at him. "We really must thank you, Phelix. Your boy Finn has been a blessing for our son, and you taking him on that trip a few months ago was very kind of you. Cleared his head right up!" A confused look crossed the jackal's mind for a moment, not knowing what on earth the brunette was talking about. Then it dawned on him, the trip a few months ago...the one that Finn and the wolf boy had gone on, alone. His son most have convinced them that they were going on that trip with family. He contemplated for a moment, he'd have to give that boy a talking to later, but for now he'd play it off. "Of course, your boy is very important to Finn. I would do anything to ensure my children's happiness and wellbeing." As he expressed this, he placed his hand on his scarred chest, bowing his head and closing his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them, he too was ushered inside; the adults made their way into the kitchen -where Gadget was examining Finn's injured eye - picking out debris from the wound with a pair of tweezers, must to the jackal's discomfort. "Stop flinching, this is what you get for not taking proper care of your injuries!" The ginger chided, pulling out another small piece of dirt from the wound. Steth knelt down next to the pups, watching as her son worked on his partner in relative silence. "I heard you had a pretty nasty accident, you should really be more careful Finn, if you take any more blows to your eye you may cause permanent damage to your sight." The she-wolf handed her son the gauze as he prepared to wrap the wound in clean bandages. "Of -course mam', I will be more careful." He replied, closing his eye as Gadget went to work wrapping it tightly. "There!" The ginger said, stepping back to examine his work from afar, as Finn brushed his messy mane back into place. Phelix watched the scene play out, thinking back his late wife, wondering if this is what it would have been like to have her around to watch their children grow up. He felt a large paw fall onto his shoulder, he noticed that Gizmo had stayed with him in his spot lingering in the doorway to the kitchen, watching from afar. "I can tell you and your kids have got good heads on your shoulders. Do take care of Finn while you folks are on your trip, he means the world to my boy, and we consider him family too. We'd be devastated if anything happened to the lad!" Phelix was surprised, these outsiders were so...kind. So willing to help complete strangers, let them into their homes, into their lives. Finn had clearly spent a lot of time here, making friends, and memories, becoming a part of these people's lives. His expression turned solemn, while he regretted not being able to be there for his children as much as he probably should have, it was necessary, made them strong. Still, sometimes he wished for the easy, carefree life these people lived. Away from the pack, away from his responsibilities, just him and his children enjoying life. "You look down chap! Cheer up, the wound might scar, but it will only make your boy look tougher in the end!" The jackal let out a low chuckle, nodding in agreement, and glancing down to the large 'X' shaped scar on his chest. While that may be so, sometimes there was more to scars than just the surface of the wound.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

Once Finn was all patched up, Steth retrieved some medical supplies for their trip, having plenty of spare materials laying around the house from the clinic. She gifted them to the elder jackal, as thanks for all that him and his son did for Gadget after he'd had that terrible nightmare. He gladly accepted, having a feeling they'd end up needing the parcel more than any of them realized. Gadget and Gears walked the jackal family back to the edge of the oasis, where they were supposed to meet up with their chauffer to ferry them across the desert to the rocky cliffs that would lead them into the valleys beyond. Gadget opened his arms to embrace the jackal, Finn accepting without any hesitation. The two stayed like that for a few moments while Tempest, and Jay said farewells to their new acquaintance, Gears. Neme arrived only moments later, dismounting from the sand wurm to greet Gadget, and help the jackals get situated on the back saddle. It was only a few moments later that Finn and Gadget finally let go, exchanging one last peck before the jackal climbed onto the saddle behind his siblings, ready for whatever lie ahead for them. Gadget and his family watched the silhouette of the giant beat disappear into the bright oranges and inky purples of the sunset bleeding into the starry night sky.

 **═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━/ Ǒ̶̢̨̞̻̀̆̆̂ṉ̵̙̻͝l̵̛̲̳͂̇y̵̨̹̏ ̶̧̯̭͎͎̇̐̾S̴͈͉̀c̴̢̩̯̹̩̈́̄̑a̵͚̓͐̿̀̒r̴̡̖̜̺͋̇̕s̷̡͕̟̎ ̶̳̠̓̓̚R̵̫͒͗́ȩ̵̞̮͕̼̔m̴̫̤̓̐͐͛̓å̵̢̼̭̹͠i̴͚̐̈́̆n̶̳̫̏̄ /┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═**

A/N: Sorry this chapter is kind of long, I really struggled with this since it is the transition for Finn leaving. It's kind of a filler chapter with lots of info on the Jackal squad before forces so sorry if it isn't super eventful! I will try to update more frequently, but I have lots of artwork I'm also working on so please be patient. ; v ;


	12. Hiatus

Hello everyone,

Sorry for misleading, i'm sure you were all looking forward to a new chapter instead of an update.  
I just wanted to let everyone know that OSR is on a brief hiatus while I get another project off the ground.

This is by no means me giving up on the story, I have every intention on completeing it!  
This version of the story is outdated, so I intend to upload a revised version on a seperate post.

Keep an eye out by following me here, or my other social media!  
Sickaede - Tumblr, Twitter  
You can also ask Finn and Gadget from OSR questions in the upcoming askblog...  
Justinfinite - Tumblr

Thank you all for your patience!  
I will try to get the revised story up as soon as possible.


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